Research Center

The National Association of Realtors reported on Monday that its Pending Home Sales Index dropped a notch in June to 110.9 from May’s reading of 111.3. The May reading was the index’s highest level since before the housing bubble burst; back in December 2006, the index maxed out at 112.8.

The University of Michigan reported on Friday that its consumer sentiment index for July came in at 85.1, an improvement from June’s final reading of 84.1, and also up from the mid-July reading of 83.9.

Mortgage interest rates spiked unexpectedly a few weeks ago and have been easing off since.

The Census Bureau reported on Wednesday that new home sales in June were at an annualized rate 497,000 units, representing an 8.3 percent increase from May, when sales were an annualized 459,000 units.

U.S. house price appreciation continued in May, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency, rising 0.7 percent from the previous month, as measured by the agency’s monthly House Price Index.

The National Association of Realtors reported that total existing-home sales dropped 1.2 percent in June to an annualized rate of 5.08 million units—including single-family, condos, co-ops and townhouses—from a downwardly revised 5.14 million units in May.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 28 states experienced unemployment rate upticks in June: 11 states had decreases, and 11 states and the District of Columbia saw no change.

The Census Bureau reported that housing starts came in at an annualized rate of 836,000 in June, or 9.9 percent below the May total of 928,000.