Category Archives: Weekly Financial News

A Yuge Jobs Gain Today

Popular Economics Weekly The U.S. created 227,000 new jobs in January to mark the largest gain in four months, revealing an economy that has plenty of stamina nearly eight years into a recovery that shows little sign of ending. Retailers, … Continue reading

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Private Payrolls, Consumer Confidence Signal Strong January

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

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Pending Home Sales—Case-Shiller Prices Higher

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

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Q4 GDP Slightly Lower—How About 2017?

Financial FAQs Fourth quarter Gross Domestic Product growth slowed, mostly because of the strong dollar and weak foreign demand. But consumers held up their end with higher consumer sentiments, and businesses also began to invest in new plants and equipment … Continue reading

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Has Inflation Returned?

Financial FAQs Inflation is here! says Econoday, per last week’s CPI report; at 2.1 percent for total consumer prices (columns in graph) and 2.2 percent for the core rate (red line). Two percent is generally considered the target rate for … Continue reading

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Housing Starts Surge With Builder Optimism

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

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Strong Retail Sales, Job Growth in 2017?

Financial FAQs The prospects for 2017 growth are confusing, to say the least. For instance, will Prez-Elect Trump initiate multiple trade wars by pushing through tariffs on foreign imports to bring manufacturing jobs home to the U.S.? And/or will this … Continue reading

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Who Killed Our Middle Class?

Popular Economics Weekly It’s becoming clear that our Middle Class—the midsection of U.S. earners and consumers—has shrunk alarmingly. And this is the main reason for the political polarization today that in the words of journalist Christopher Hedges, has driven the … Continue reading

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Boom Times In 2017 For Consumers?

Popular Economics Weekly Here are more signs that economic growth will increase in 2017. There’s a large increase in revolving credit, one of the largest of the cycle, reports the Federal Reserve, a sign that retail sales are booming (with … Continue reading

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Real Estate In 2017—Good Time To Buy?

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

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