• August 4, 2017
• no comment
• realestatelife

The trade deficit shrank nearly 6% in June to an eight-month low, but the U.S. is still on track to post a bigger gap in 2017 than it did the year before. The deficit fell to $43.6 billion in June from $46.4 billion in May, the Commerce Department said Friday. Economists had forecast a $44

• August 4, 2017
• no comment
• realestatelife

The U.S. created 209,000 new jobs in July, easily beating Wall Street forecasts and showing the labor market still has plenty of muscle more than eight years into a expansion. Economists had predicted a 175,000 increase in nonfarm jobs. The unemployment rate slipped to 4.3% from 4.4%, retouching a 16-year low. Average wages climbed 0.3%

• August 3, 2017
• no comment
• realestatelife

Applications for unemployment benefits fell in late July and remained near a 44-year low, highlighting the strength of a U.S. labor market that’s show no sign of waning. Initial jobless claims in the period running from July 23 to July 29 declined by 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 240,000. New claims count people who apply

• August 2, 2017
• no comment
• realestatelife

Private sector hiring stayed strong in July as employers added 178,000 jobs ADP reported Wednesday. Economist had forecast a July gain of 173,000 jobs compared with an original reported increase of 158,000 in June. On Wednesday, ADP revised June’s gain to 191,000.

• August 1, 2017
• no comment
• realestatelife

ISM index falls slightly to 56.3% but remains near 3-year high. American manufacturers tapped on the brakes lightly in July but were still expanding near the fastest pace in three years, a good sign for the broader U.S. economy.

• August 1, 2017
• no comment
• realestatelife

Overall spending was up nearly 5% for the first half of the year compared to a year ago. Outlays for construction projects dipped in June after a strong start to the year as spending on public works tumbled. Construction spending fell 1.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.21 trillion, but May’s rate, originally

• August 1, 2017
• no comment
• realestatelife

Americans increased spending in June by the smallest amount in five months, partly because it cost less to fill up at the gas pump. Consumer spending rose 0.1% in June, matching the smallest increase of 2017. Income growth and inflation, meanwhile, were unchanged. Despite a stable economy and the best labor market in years, Americans remain cautious

• July 31, 2017
• no comment
• realestatelife

Home-purchase contract signings jumped in June after three months of declines, another reflection of choppy momentum in the housing market. The pending home sales index from the National Association of Realtors rose 1.5% to a level of 110.2, the group said Monday. May’s reading was revised upward.

• July 31, 2017
• no comment
• realestatelife

The economy in the Chicago region grew rapidly in July but cooled a bit from earlier in the summer, indicating that businesses are still confident despite political drama in Washington. The Chicago business barometer, or Chicago PMI, slipped to 58.9 in July from a three-year high of 65.7 in June, MNI Indicators said Monday. The

• July 31, 2017
• no comment
• realestatelife

Monetary policy must take a back seat to fiscal and regulatory measures in the struggle to get the global economy out of its low-interest-rate doldrums, said Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Stanley Fischer, on Monday. Interest rates are not only near historic lows in the U.S., but also in the euro area, the U.K. and Japan,