Tag Archives: inflation

Housing Construction Boosted By Low Rates

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

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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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Personal Incomes, Manufacturing Remain Strong

Popular Economics Weekly Personal income rose a solid but slightly lower-than-expected 0.3 percent in September, reports the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The wages & salaries component rose 0.3 percent, another sign of rising incomes. That’s why consumer … Continue reading

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Consumers Boost Q1 GDP Growth

Popular Economics Weekly Consumer spending, largely on services, helped hold up first-quarter real GDP which came in at just 0.5 percent rate, but is still up 2 percent YoY. Consumer spending (personal consumption expenditures) rose at a 1.9 percent rate, … Continue reading

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What Should Yellen’s Fed Do?

Popular Economics Weekly The big question hovering over the markets (both stocks and bonds), is whether the Federal Reserve will finally begin to raise short term interest rates at next week’s FOMC meeting. Markets are uncertain, and only a few … Continue reading

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Three % Plus YoY Economic Growth Is Here

Popular Economics Weekly We are finally back to 3 percent plus GDP growth on an annual basis. And it is largely fueled by consumer spending that has been increasing as more jobs are created. Retail and Food service sales ex-gasoline … Continue reading

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What Would Save the Euro?

Popular Economics Weekly Now that Greece has voted NO on the latest European Commission-European Central Bank-IMF proposal (the so-called troika), will Greece stay in the Eurozone? If so, Greece may save the euro. Why is this choice even necessary when … Continue reading

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New Home Sales Surging

The Mortgage Corner New U.S. homes sold at an annual rate of 539,000 in February to mark the best month of sales in seven years, the government reported Tuesday. The pace of sales for January was also revised up sharply … Continue reading

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Will 2015 Interest Rates Remain This Low?

The Mortgage Corner Record low interest rates are holding, in spite of the latest stock market selloffs, and may remain low throughout 2015. Why? Oil prices are still below $50/barrel, and overall prices are falling throughout the developed world. The … Continue reading

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