Category Archives: COVID-19

Where’s the Recession?

Posted on May 5, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly MarketWatch Surprise, surprise. Americans remain fully employed, in spite of the Fed’s efforts to slow economic growth. The ‘official’ unemployment rate dropped to 3.4 percent in April. The last time it was this low was in 1968. … Continue reading →

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More Housing Sorely Needed

Posted on May 4, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner I said last week that higher new home sales and rising homebuilders’ optimism foretells a strong summer sales season if builders and existing-home inventories don’t run out of housing stock. The construction industry is responding. Spending in … Continue reading →

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Fed Should Call a Truce

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs CalculatedRisk First Republic Bank’s takeover by the FDIC highlighted just how vulnerable our banking system is to higher interest rates. It had more than 80 percent uninsured deposits, just like the other failed banks vulnerable to higher interest … Continue reading →

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More Housing Needed

Posted on April 28, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Higher new home sales and rising homebuilders’ optimism foretells a strong summer sales season if builders and existing-home inventories don’t run out of housing stock. More new homes could also soften what is being termed a rolling recession with … Continue reading →

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US Economy Already In Recession

Posted on April 27, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly BEA.gov First quarter 2023 economic growth was not good, after all the conjecture over where US growth is headed. U.S. Gross Domestic Product grew at just a 1.1 percent annual rate in the first three months of … Continue reading →

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New Home Sales Increasing

Posted on April 26, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Census.gov Sales of new single‐family houses in March 2023 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 683,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. … Continue reading →

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Softer Retail Sales Mean What?

Posted on April 18, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs FREDretailsales Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said in a recent Fareed Zakariah interview on CNN that she thought an economic soft landing was possible, despite warnings that the recent bank failures could cause banks to tighten in their lending … Continue reading →

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Fed Now Fears a Recession

Posted on April 14, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs BEA.gov It is no longer lost on the Fed Governors that the record speed they have raised short-term interest is causing a possible recession. They have even said so in their just released minutes from the latest FOMC … Continue reading →

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Americans Still Fully Employed

Posted on April 10, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly MarketWatch The MarketWatch graph above shows why the US Federal Reserve keeps raising interest rates. The US unemployment rate dropped from 3.6 to 3.5 percent in March. It was 14.7 percent in April 2020. It was last … Continue reading →

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More Soft Landing News!

Posted on April 5, 2023 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The banking failures have begun to raise hopes the Fed will take a pause in its rate hikes. Now more signs of a weakening economy have added to that possibility, a real possibility the Fed will cease … Continue reading →

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