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U.S. retail sales in May are weakest in 16 months

  • June 14, 2017
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  • realestatelife

Sales at retailers nationwide sank 0.3% last month, the biggest drop since January 2016. The May sales report was generally weak across the board. Economists polled had forecast flat sales in May. The reversal last month unwound much of the strength in April when sales jumped 0.4%. April sales benefited from a late Easter holiday

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Fed boosts key interest rate to 1-1.25 percent

  • June 14, 2017
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  • realestatelife

At the conclusion of its two-day policy meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee moved its benchmark interest rate higher by 0.25 percentage point to between 1% and 1.25%, as had been widely expected on Wall Street.

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Fed raises rates by 0.25%

  • June 14, 2017
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  • realestatelife

The Fed still believe gradual rate hikes are warranted. We saw 12 out of 16 Fed members can see one more rate hikes this year. They did lower their inflation expectations and said they would begin to unwind their balance sheet in the 4th QTR. This is not a major shock to the system, but

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U.S. jobless claims remain near lowest level in decades

  • June 8, 2017
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  • realestatelife

Initial jobless claims dropped by 10,000 to 245,000 in the seven days stretching from May 28 to June 3. Initial claims count people who apply for benefits after losing their jobs. New applications for benefits have registered less than 300,000 for 118 straight weeks, the longest run since the early 1970s. The more accurate four-week

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April JOLTS Report

  • June 6, 2017
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  • realestatelife

April JOLTS report shows 6.044M unfilled job openings vs. estimates of 5.650M. This is a huge number and suggests the labor market still has room to run provided that their are qualified people with the corresponding skill set to match up with the open jobs. Not enough to turn the positive move for interest rates

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U.S. productivity in first quarter: zero

  • June 5, 2017
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  • realestatelife

The productivity of American companies and their employees wasn’t as bad in the first quarter as originally reported. The government on Monday said productivity was unchanged in the first three months of 2017 instead of declining at a 0.6% annual rate. The biggest change: The increase in output, or how many goods and services companies

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Factory orders decline 0.2% in April, snapping four-month winning streak

  • June 5, 2017
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  • realestatelife

Factory orders dipped 0.2% in April, the Commerce Department said Monday. That matched the Econoday consensus forecast and was the first monthly decline after a four-month stretch of increases. March’s 0.2% increase was revised up to a hefty 1.0% rise. For the year to date, orders are 4.4% higher than in the same period a

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US Economy Adds Fewer Jobs in May Than Expected

  • June 2, 2017
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  • realestatelife

The U.S. economy added 138,000 net new jobs in May, falling short of expectations for 185,000 jobs. The unemployment rate ticked lower to 4.3% from 4.4%, while the labor force participation rate edged down slightly to 62.7% from 62.9% during the month.

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Job Report Data

  • June 2, 2017
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  • realestatelife

May Non Farm Payrolls 138,000 vs. estimates of 185,000. April NFP revised from 211,000 to 174,000. Unemployment Rate 4.3% vs. estimates of 4.4%. Average Hourly Wages MOM 0.2% vs. estimates of 0.2%. Average Hourly Wage YOY 2.5%.

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U.S. trade deficit climbs

  • June 2, 2017
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  • realestatelife

The nation’s trade deficit rose 5.2% in April, keeping the U.S. on track to post a bigger gap in 2017 than in 2016. The deficit climbed to $47.6 billion in April from a revised $45.3 billion in March, the Commerce Department said Friday. Economists polled had forecast a $46.5 billion gap.

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