Category Archives: housing market

Strong Jobs Report = Rising Interest Rates

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly Economists are almost unanimous that the Fed will raise their short term rates at next week’s FOMC meeting. This is because total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 235,000 in February, and the unemployment rate fell slightly to … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Economy, Housing, housing market, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Higher New Home Sales, Mortgage Lending

Posted on February 24, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner We wrote last week about unusually restrictive mortgage standards for conforming stalwarts Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that are still wards of the US Treasury. Now we’ve learned that they are still doing almost record loan volumes. … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Economy, Housing, housing market, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Home Sales Reach 10-year High

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Existing-home sales ran at a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 5.69 million, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. That was 3.3 percent above an upwardly-revised 5.51 million in December and 3.8 percent higher than a year ago. … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, housing market, Politics, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Mortgage Market Still Obstructs Lower Income Borrowers

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Earlier this month, researchers at the Urban Institute’s Housing Finance Policy Center published some of their research on lending standards. Drawing on data from the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act, they found that lower-credit applicants accounted for only … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Housing, housing market, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Housing Construction Boosted By Low Rates

Posted on February 16, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Housing starts returned to trend, reports the National Association of Home Builders, dropping 2.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.246 million units, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Housing, housing market, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Surging Construction Sector Aids Home Sales

Posted on February 7, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Construction payrolls were a positive surprise of the January employment report, rising 36,000 for the best gain since March. Construction was soft through most of last year though it did pick up at year end. And this … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Economy, Housing, housing market, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Private Payrolls, Consumer Confidence Signal Strong January

Posted on February 2, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly ADP is calling for substantial strength in Friday’s employment report, showing yesterday 246,000 for private payrolls, not including government jobs. This is far beyond expectations and would compare with December private payroll growth in the government’s report … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, Economy, housing market, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pending Home Sales—Case-Shiller Prices Higher

Posted on January 31, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Pending home sales picked up in December as solid increases in the South and West offset weakening activity in the Northeast and Midwest, according to the National Association of Realtors®. And the S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, housing market, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Housing Starts Surge With Builder Optimism

Posted on January 21, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner A surge in multifamily production resulted in overall nationwide housing starts rising 11.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.23 million units, according to newly released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban … Continue reading →

Posted in Consumers, housing market, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Real Estate In 2017—Good Time To Buy?

Posted on January 9, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Surging mortgage rates, dwindling inventory, and soaring home prices are taking a toll on Americans’ attitudes toward ownership, according to a home purchase sentiment survey released Monday. But that may be misleading, as mortgage rates have barely … Continue reading →

Posted in Housing, housing market, Weekly Financial News | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment