The labor market was the strong point of the U.S. economy in the last quarter of 2015, with an average of 284,000 jobs added in the last three months of the year.
Read More »A Tick or a Trend: Will GDP and Employment Numbers Continue to Perform Well?
While it may be too early to declare a trend, what will it mean if these two central measures of the economy continue on the paths they’ve taken the last two years?
Read More »The Week Ahead: A Very Important Employment Situation
The start of 2016 has seen slowdowns in many key economic areas. Many in the mortgage industry are anxiously awaiting the results behind the first employment summary of 2016, which will come out on Friday. Will job growth continue its momentum into 2016?
Read More »Where are the Top 5 Most Stable Housing Markets?
U.S. housing markets continue to show improvement, and much of that credit is due to consumers maintaining their mortgages and a better overall employment picture.
Read More »Employment Numbers Drive Housing Market Health
The housing market is still trekking down the recovery path, and although the market has not returned to its peak, it has made significant progress since crisis times.
Read More »Is Solid Jobs Report Enough for a Rate Hike?
"This should put to bed any doubts about whether the Fed will announce a rate increase later this month. Barring something completely out of left field between now and then, liftoff will commence with a quarter-point rate increase to the target federal funds rate." - Curt Long, Chief Economist for the National Association of Federal Credit Unions
Read More »June Housing Market Indicators Highest Since 2008
Multiple market indicators show solid strong stabilization within housing in June, mostly due to employment and current mortgages, according to Freddie Mac's Multi-Indicator Market Index. Housing markets are the strongest they have been since 2008, with the national MiMi surpassing 80 in June. Freddie Mac attributes most of this positive growth to a surge in jobs and mortgages that are kept current in nearly all metros.
Read More »Home Sales, Housing Starts Expected to See Significant Growth in 2015
Employment grew at a rate higher than the national average (3 percent, as opposed to 2 percent) for the 25 to 29 age group, which is good news for housing, because this age group is the key first-time homebuyer segment. Steadily falling oil prices, which are down 45 percent since June, provide more economic growth tailwind going into next year. The drop in oil prices reduces energy-related expenses not just for driving, but for residential real estate also, according to Khater.
Read More »Consumer Confidence Makes Comeback Heading Into Holidays
November's reading had been a disappointment for the Consumer Confidence Index following a post-recession high of 94.5 for October. The Present Situation Index jumped up to 98.6 in the latest reading from its November level of 93.7, while the Expectations Index fell slightly from 89.3 down to 88.5.
Read More »Labor Market Conditions Improve in October
The Federal Reserve's Labor Market Conditions Index (LMCI) rose 4 points last month, the central bank reported, matching September's revised improvement. The index covers 19 separate indicators, including the national unemployment rate, average hourly earnings, and the transition rate from unemployment to employment.
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