Category: Announcements

• August 30, 2017
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• realestatelife

Q2 GDP revised up from initial estimate of 2.6% on stronger consumer spending This is the fastest quarterly growth rate in more than two years. Somewhat stronger consumer spending and business investment were behind the upward revision.

• August 30, 2017
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• realestatelife

Private payrolls for August jumped at their fastest pace in five months thanks in part to strong gains in construction and manufacturing jobs, according to the latest release from ADP and Moody’s Analytics. Employers added a seasonally adjusted 237,000 jobs during the month, payroll processor ADP said. That was a big gain from the 178,000

• August 29, 2017
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• realestatelife

U.S. home price growth picked up steam in June as strong demand continued to buoy the market. The S&P/Case-Shiller 20-city index rose a seasonally adjusted 5.7% in the three-month period ending in June, compared with a year ago, the same rate of change as in May. The national index rose 5.8%, compared with a year

• August 28, 2017
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• realestatelife

An early look at U.S. trade patterns in July points to a wider trade deficit. The advanced trade gap in goods — services are excluded — widened by 1.78% to $ 65.1 billion in July, the Commerce Department said Monday. Both exports and imports declined, but exports dropped at a faster pace in the month.

• August 25, 2017
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• realestatelife

Dallas Fed President Rob Kaplan said that he supports a move to shrink the balance sheet as soon as possible. The Dallas Fed president signaled that another rate hike at the end of the year was not a given. He said the central bank could afford to be “patient” and see if inflation pressures pick

• August 25, 2017
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• realestatelife

Orders for big-ticket U.S. good fell by the largest amount in three years in July, reversing a strong gain in the prior month, according to government data released Friday. The Commerce Department reported that orders for durable goods fell 6.8% in July, led by a sharp drop in volatile aircraft. It was the biggest decline

• August 24, 2017
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• realestatelife

July Existing Home Sales 5.44M vs. estimates of 5.57M.  Healthy level, but inventory shortages crimping stronger growth. Generally not a fact for interest rate pricing.

• August 18, 2017
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• realestatelife

The consumer sentiment index rose to 97.6 in August, in a survey of consumers by The University of Michigan. U.S. consumer sentiment was expected to reach 94, according economists surveyed by Reuters. The index, which measures the confidence in future economic prospects, hit 93.1 in July.

• August 17, 2017
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• realestatelife

The Home Affordable Refinance Program will now expire on December 31, 2018 after an extension was granted.  The Federal Housing Finance Agency has extending its Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) for another year.  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have already refinanced 3.4 million homeowners through the program.  It is believed that an additional 143,000 GSE

• August 17, 2017
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• realestatelife

The factory activity survey from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve fell to 18.9 from 19.5, the regional bank said. Economists had expected a steeper decline, to 17.0. But the report’s details were stronger than the headline. The new orders gauge surged to 20.4 from 2.1, signalling stronger growth in the future, and the measure of shipments