Existing-home sales stall in April as tight supply pushes properties to record low time on the market

  • May 24, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

Sales of previously-owned homes sputtered in April after a supercharged first quarter, as lean inventory continued to constrain demand. Existing-home sales ran at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.57 million, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. That was a 2.3% decline from March’s selling pace, which was revised down a tick but still

READ MORE

Jobless claims edge up by 2,000 to 244,000

  • June 29, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits rose slightly in late June but still remained extremely low, reflecting the strength of a U.S. labor market that shows no sign of wilting.

READ MORE

Consumer spending is weak in May, but so is inflation

  • June 30, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

Americans barely increased spending in May and choose to save more money instead even as decelerating inflation gave them more bang for the buck. Consumer spending rose 0.1% last month after back-to-back 0.4% gains in April and March, the Commerce Department reported Friday. That matched the Marketwatch forecast of economists.

READ MORE

Fed minutes show broad agreement on approach to start shrinking balance sheet

  • May 24, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

Federal Reserve officials were in broad agreement at their meeting on May 2-3 on a general approach to shrinking the bank’s massive balance sheet, according to minutes of the session released Wednesday. Nearly all Fed officials said they were content with a plan to end the reinvestment of principal of maturing securities – the main

READ MORE

Low jobless claims look like rerun of early 1970s

  • May 25, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

The number of Americans applying for and receiving unemployment benefits continue to drop to levels last seen nearly a half century ago, a sign the U.S. labor market remains quite robust eight years into an economic expansion. Initial jobless claims rose by 1,000 to 234,000 in the seven days stretching from May 14 to May

READ MORE

U.S. trade deficit widens in April

  • May 25, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

The advanced U.S. trade deficit in goods widened by 3.8% in April, while retail investors were down 0.3%.

READ MORE

Fed’s Brainard: Risks to U.S. economy lower due to ‘brighter’ global outlook

  • May 25, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

Federal Reserve Board Governor Lael Brainard said Thursday there is now less risk to the U.S. economy due to a healthier global economy. “As I look out at the global economy today, it is brighter than it has been probably for the last few years,” Brainard said. The euro-area is growing more solidly, the Fed

READ MORE

More on the Feds favorite gauge of inflation

  • June 30, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

The meager increase in spending took place against a backdrop of slowing inflation. The PCE index, the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation gauge, fell 0.1% to mark the second decline in three months. What’s more, the 12-month rate of inflation tapered off to 1.4% in May from 1.7% in the prior month and a five-year high

READ MORE

Chicago June PMI at 65.7 vs 58.0 expected

  • June 30, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

The Chicago Purchasing Managers Index was at 65.7 in the month, blowing past economists’ estimates. Economists polled had expected a reading of 58.0, down from the 59.4 reading reported a month earlier. A reading above 50.0 indicates expansion in the economy.

READ MORE

Orders for durable goods fall to 5-month low

  • May 26, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

Orders for long-lasting goods such as planes and appliances fell in April for the first time in five months, suggesting that a resurgent U.S. manufacturing industry has cooled off a bit. Durable-goods orders dropped 0.7% last month amid weakness in most key segments of heavy industry. The decline follows four straight increases, including a revised

READ MORE