Tag Archives: interest rates

Where Are the New Homes?

Posted on August 24, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner There is a surging demand for new home that builders find hard to meet.  New-home sales fell in July to 571,000 units, though May and June totals were revised upward. That’s because the Census Bureau estimate comes … Continue reading →

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More Job Openings, Fewer Hirings Mean What?

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly The job market continues to fluctuate, as job openings rose sharply in June to 6.163 million from 5.702 million in May. Hires, however, fell sharply, to 5.356 million from 5.459 million. This data set can be volatile … Continue reading →

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Home Sales Disappoint

Posted on July 25, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Existing-home sales were at a 5.52 million seasonally adjusted annual rate in June, the National Association of Realtors said Monday. That was 0.7 percent above the year-ago rate, but 1.8 percent lower than in May and marked … Continue reading →

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Full Employment Is Here, But No Inflation (Revised)

Posted on July 21, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs The Bureau of Labor’s JOLTS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey out Tuesday showed a huge boost in hiring and shrinkage of available jobs. What to make of it with almost nonexistent inflation, and the Fed’s Janet Yellen … Continue reading →

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Housing Starts Rebound, For How Long?

Posted on July 20, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The Conference Board’s Index of Leading Indicators that predicts future growth says it is being boosted by a rebound in housing starts, which means more badly needed new homes being built. Its June report posted a 0.6 … Continue reading →

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Interest Rates On the Rise!

Posted on June 30, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Central Banks everywhere seem to be following our Federal Reserve in selling bonds they had accumulated to keep interest rates low for so long—in fact, since the end of the Great Recession. They also seem to be crossing … Continue reading →

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Why Did Fed Raise Rates Again?

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly U.S. growth cycles have averaged about 8 years since WWII, yet the Federal Reserve just announced they were raising their overnight rate for the third time—to 1.25 percent. It also forecast that the unemployment rate could fall … Continue reading →

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The Declining Treasury Yield Curve—Recession Looming?

Posted on May 11, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs We are basically at full employment with a 4.4 percent unemployment rate, which should tell us we are nearing the end of this growth cycle. Econoday reports, “The total number of employed Americans, and this includes both the … Continue reading →

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Why Is Mortgage Lending Still Restricted?

Posted on April 25, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner We can thank the Great Recession for most of it. Banks have become much more conservative, and builders are building approximately 50 percent fewer residences vs. the 2 million housing units at the height of the housing … Continue reading →

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Why the Weak March Employment Report?

Posted on April 8, 2017 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner The good news is the unemployment rate fell to 4.5 percent, and number of unemployed persons (i.e., available for work) declined by 326,000 to 7.2 million. Both measures were improved numbers over the year. But just 98,000 … Continue reading →

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