US GDP grows 2.6% in the third quarter, but recession fears linger

  • October 27, 2022
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

The U.S. economy rebounded over the summer after shrinking for the first six months of the year, but the rebound does little to allay fears that the world’s largest economy is headed toward a recession as it confronts painfully high inflation and rising interest rates. Gross domestic product, the broadest measure of goods and services

READ MORE

Mortgage / Treasury Spread

  • November 4, 2022
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

The average mortgage rate should be around 6% today and not 7% if the normal spread is applied. A monthly mortgage payment of $1,799 versus $1,996 on a $300,000 loan. Historically the spread between 10-year Treasury bond yields and 30-year mortgage is 170 basis points. Today it is over 300 basis points. The only other

READ MORE

Existing home sales tumble to a 10-year low in September as mortgage rates skyrocket

  • October 20, 2022
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

U.S. existing home sales slowed for the eighth straight month in September as rising mortgage rates, surging inflation and steep home prices continued to push prospective buyers out of the market. Sales of previously owned homes tumbled 1.5% in September from the previous month to an annual rate of 4.71 million units, according to new

READ MORE

IRS provides tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2023

  • October 27, 2022
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

The Internal Revenue Service today announced the tax year 2023 annual inflation adjustments for more than 60 tax provisions, including the tax rate schedules and other tax changes. Revenue Procedure 2022-38PDF provides details about these annual adjustments. New for 2023 The Inflation Reduction Act extended certain energy related tax breaks and indexed for inflation the energy efficient

READ MORE

NAR Lawrence Yun

  • October 14, 2022
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

Mortgage rates may head toward 8.5% if they break through the 7% threshold they’re on the verge of now, according to the chief economist of the National Association of Realtors. That possibility is based on a technical analysis of mortgage rates from NAR’s Lawrence Yun, who studied key levels of resistance that borrowing costs will

READ MORE

U.S. Retail Sales Lagged Inflation Again in September

  • October 16, 2022
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

Investing.com — U.S. retail sales were flat in nominal terms in September, below expectations and again highlighting the pressure on consumer spending power from high inflation. However, core retail sales, which strip out some of the more volatile elements of the consumer shopping basket, edged up 0.1%, slightly better than forecast, in an overall mixed

READ MORE

Social Security recipients to see biggest COLA increase since 1981

  • December 18, 2022
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

Social Security benefits are set to rise by 8.7% in 2023, the biggest bump in four decades as stubbornly high inflation erodes the buying power of retired Americans, the Social Security Administration said on Thursday. The increase, known as a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), is the biggest since 1981, when recipients saw an 11.2% jump. More

READ MORE

Wholesale inflation rises more than expected in September, with prices jumping 8.5%

  • October 12, 2022
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

Inflation at the wholesale level rose more than expected in September as prices for everyday necessities remain at a multi-decade high, squeezing businesses and millions of American households. The Labor Department said Wednesday that its producer price index, which measures inflation at the wholesale level before it reaches consumers, rose 0.4% in September from the

READ MORE

IMF warns ‘worst is yet to come’ for global economy as recession risks rise

  • October 11, 2022
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

The International Monetary Fund on Tuesday slashed its global growth outlook for next year, warning the world economy is headed for “stormy waters” and that there is a growing risk of a painful worldwide recession if major central banks fumble the fight against inflation. The Washington-based institution said in its latest World Economic Outlook that

READ MORE

Is Fall The Time To Buy?

  • October 11, 2022
  • no comment
  • realestatelife

  If you’ve been on the fence about putting in an offer, fall may be the best time to go for it. Why? Because nationally it’s the BEST time to buy a home! The real estate market tends to be most favorable to buyers at the beginning of fall. More Inventory Early fall tends to

READ MORE