• 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

• 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

• 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

• June 5, 2017
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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

• 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

• 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.

• 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%.

• June 2, 2017
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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.

• June 1, 2017
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• realestatelife

In a major sign of a US economic rebound, the private sector added 253,000 jobs in May, according to payroll processor ADP. The figure far exceeded expectations of 185,000.

• June 1, 2017
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• realestatelife

The benchmark rate for home loans remained in free fall in the most recent week in the wake of lackluster economic data that hinted the central bank may be slower to raise interest rates than it expects. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.94%, down one basis point during the week and marking a fresh 2017