Category Archives: housing market

Housing Starts, Builder Optimism at Recovery Highs

Posted on July 18, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Privately-owned housing starts in June were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,174,000. This is 9.8 percent above the revised May estimate of 1,069,000 and is 26.6 percent above the June 2014 rate of 927,000. This … Continue reading →

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

Iran Agreement Means Low Inflation, Higher Growth

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Although economists haven’t yet begun to crunch the numbers, Iran’s agreement not to produce atomic weapons or weapon-grade plutonium for at least 10 years will result in much lower oil prices, thus keeping inflation in check and interest … Continue reading →

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

Home Prices Increase With Jobs

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The S&P Case-Shiller Home Price Index is the bell weather for real estate and home prices these days. It not only reports housing prices, but what affects those prices, and jobs have to be the most important … Continue reading →

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

Pending Home Sales, Mortgage Applications Soar

Posted on July 7, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Pending home sales continued to rise in May and are now at their highest level in over nine years, according to the National Association of Realtors. Gains in the Northeast and West were offset by small decreases … Continue reading →

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

A Good Jobs Report

Posted on July 2, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Should we push back the first Fed rate hike to the presidential election year of 2016, because of June’s softer-than-expected employment report? Nonfarm payroll growth came in at 223,000 vs expectations for 230,000 and above. It included downward … Continue reading →

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

Consumers Earn and Spend More This Year

Posted on June 29, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs The consumer came to life in May, boosted by a 0.5 percent rise in personal income and helping to support a 0.9 percent surge in personal outlays that reflects heavy spending on autos and retail goods. The spending … Continue reading →

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

Housing Beginning to Bloom

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Ultra-low interest rates are finally beginning to pay off.  The housing season is beginning to bloom—for first-time homebuyers, in particular. The National Association of Realtors reports total existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, … Continue reading →

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

Why Lower Growth, Higher Corporate Profits?

Posted on June 23, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly First-quarter economic growth wasn’t as bad as expected, yet corporate profits were much better than expected. So what are corporations doing with their profits, rather than investing in future growth? The second revision to first-quarter GDP came … Continue reading →

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

Housing Construction Soars

Posted on June 17, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Housing construction is taking off, as I predicted two weeks ago. The numbers show actual construction starts accelerating as well as building permits for future construction. It is also boosting builder confidence to a level that signals … Continue reading →

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

Pending Home Sales In Record Territory

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Pending home sales hit a 9-year high in April, according to data released last Friday by the National Association of Realtors. This is an early sign that housing construction and sales will come out of their winter … Continue reading →

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