Job gains were solid and the labor force participation rate reached a 15-month high in February's Employment Summary from the BLS. But the news was not all positive.
Read More »Job Gains Weaken, But is the Labor News All Bad?
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 »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 »October Jobs Report Exceeds Expectations & May Nudge Fed to Raise Rates
October’s healthy job gains of 271,000 reported in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) October 2015 Employment Summary released Friday make a December liftoff by the Fed an extremely likely possibility.
Read More »Construction Jobs Aplenty Among Slow Hiring
The number of job openings in construction overall remained stable in July, though hiring in the home construction sector slowed that same month, according the latest figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Association of Home Builders.
Read More »Will the Fed Raise Rates in September Based on Recent Labor Market Improvements?
The Federal Open Market Committee stated in its July meeting that more labor growth is needed before the Fed decides to raise the federal target funds rate. Will July's job gains drive the Fed to increase rates in September after years of keeping them near zero?
Read More »Study: Household Formations Now at Pre-Recession Levels
The study was conducted authored by Gary Painter, director of USC's Lusk Center for Real Estate, and doctoral candidate Jung Hyun Choi, to determine how long declines in household formation would last following a major economic shock such as a drop in employment that occurred during the recession.
Read More »Analysis: Job Outlook Less Than Ideal for Homeownership
With job growth continuing on a strong track, a growing number of housing economists anticipate a comeback in homeownership—particularly among young adults—in the months and years ahead. However, a recent study from Freddie Mac turned up some discouraging results to throw some cold water on economists' high hopes.
Read More »Continued Job Growth Lifts Mortgage Rates from 2015 Lows
Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey for the week ending February 12 shows the average interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) was 3.69 percent (0.6 point) this week, up a full 10 basis points from last week's 2015 low of 3.59 percent.
Read More »Home Prices See Slower Growth as Jobs Become Driving Factor
Trulia reported Tuesday that asking prices for on-sale homes climbed a seasonally adjusted 0.5 percent month-over-month nationwide in January, marking the smallest monthly gain since August. Trulia Chief Economist Jed Kolko says the slowdown reflects a change in the factors influencing price growth.
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