Home-contract signings inch up in November as tight supply chokes off sales

  • December 27, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestate

Pending home sales ticked up 0.2% in November, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. NAR’s pending-home sales index tracks real estate transactions in which a contract has been signed, but the deal has not yet been closed. November’s increase missed the consensus forecast of a 0.5% monthly gain from economists surveyed. The index reading

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New Home Sales Higher

  • December 22, 2017
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  • realestate

New-home sales were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 733,000 in November, the Commerce Department said Friday. Sales of newly-constructed homes throttled past expectations as the housing recovery picked up steam. November’s number was 17.5% above a downwardly-revised October and 16% higher than a year ago. That easily beat the  consensus of a 658,000

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Consumer Sentiment Lower

  • December 22, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestate

The University of Michigan reported consumer sentiment continued to drift lower in December The final reading of its consumer sentiment index was 95.9 versus November’s 98.5 The preliminary reading was 96.8, and economists polled by expected a revised reading of 97.1. This is the lowest reading since September.

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New-home sales roar to a fresh high as builders feed a market starved for supply

  • December 22, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestate

New-home sales were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 733,000 in November, the Commerce Department said Friday. Sales of newly-constructed homes throttled past expectations as the housing recovery picked up steam. November’s number was 17.5% above a downwardly-revised October and 16% higher than a year ago. That easily beat the consensus of a 658,000 selling

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U.S. durable-goods orders jump on aircraft but key core sector disappoints

  • December 22, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestate

Durable-goods orders rose 1.3% in November, below the forecast of a 2% gain. The gain was powered by civilian aircraft orders. Excluding transportation, orders fell 0.1%, the government said. Business investment slipped 0.1% in November after four monthly gains, based on a closely followed measure known as core capital goods orders. These orders have climbed

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Consumer spending jumps 0.6% in November, savings rate declines

  • December 22, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestate

Consumer spending jumped in November, as Americans spent their savings on nondurable goods and services. Outlays rose a seasonally adjusted 0.6% last month, while personal incomes climbed 0.3%, the Commerce Department said Friday. Economists polled had forecast 0.5% increase in spending and a 0.4% gain in incomes. The amount of money individuals save in November

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Durable-goods orders rise 1.3% in November

  • December 22, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestate

Orders for durable, or long-lasting, goods rose 1.3% in November after a 0.4% drop in the prior month, the Commerce Department said Friday. This is the third rise in durable-goods orders in the past four months. Economists had forecast a 2% gain. The increase was powered by commercial aircraft orders. Excluding transportation, orders fell 0.1%

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Chicago Fed economic index cools from October’s best reading in nearly a decade

  • December 21, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestate

A measure of national economic activity calculated at the Chicago Federal Reserve eased in November after an October surge, but leaves the less-volatile three-month average on a positive trajectory. The Chicago Fed’s index of national economic activity cooled to a positive 0.15 last month from an upwardly revised positive 0.76 in October, the central bank

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Philly Fed index shows accelerating factory momentum in December

  • December 21, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestate

The Philadelphia Fed’s Manufacturing Business Outlook Survey jumped to a reading of 26.2 in December from 22.7, beating the consensus forecast of a slight downtick to 21.8.

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Jobless claims jump by most since early September

  • December 21, 2017
  • no comment
  • realestate

Initial U.S. jobless claims, a tool to measure layoffs, rose by 20,000 to 245,000 in the week ended Dec. 16. That was above the 230,000 estimated. The more stable monthly average of claims increased by 1,250 to 236,000, the government said Thursday. The number of people already collecting unemployment benefits, known as continuing claims, rose

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