Research Center
Economy Watch: Existing Home Sales Spike
The National Association of Realtors said on Thursday that total existing-home sales nationwide—including completed transactions for single-family houses, townhomes, condos and co-ops—rose 5.9 percent to an annualized rate of 5.04 million units in November, compared with 4.76 million in October.
Economy Watch: Housing Starts Drop in November
Private housing starts in November came in at an annualized rate of 861,000 units, according to the Census Bureau. That’s 3 percent below the revised October estimate of 888,000, and adjusted for the fact that colder weather slows down housing construction.
Economy Watch: Homebuilders Feeling a Little More Optimistic
The National Association of Home Builders reported that builder confidence in the market for new single-family homes rose for an eighth consecutive month in December to 47 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.
Economy Watch: Fiscal Cliff Deal?
Over the weekend and into Monday, there were rumors from Washington that hinted at the possibility of a deal on the fiscal cliff. They were vague murmurs, but enough to catch the attention of the chattering classes and investors.
Economy Watch: CPI Drops for First Time in Six Months
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported on Friday that the U.S. Consumer Price Index declined 0.3 percent in November compared with October, the first time since May that the all-price index has edged down.
‘Economy Watch’ Podcast with Dees Stribling: Worried About the Fiscal Cliff?
Americans might be worried about the fiscal cliff—or not, depending on which indicator you look at.
Economy Watch: Retail Sales Up in November
According to the Census Bureau on Thursday, U.S. retail sales for November—adjusted for seasonal variation and holiday and trading-day differences, but not for price changes—increased 0.3 percent month-over-month.
Economy Watch: FOMC Sets Stimulus Goals
The Federal Open Market Committee met on Wednesday and, among other things, promised to keep the federal funds rate at 0 percent to 0.25 percent, as it has been since the onset of the Great Recession.
Economy Watch: Job Openings Up
The Bureau of Labor Statistics, in its latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summery reported that the number of job openings in October was 3.7 million, basically the same as in September.
Economy Watch: Employment Index Slips
The Conference Board reported that its Employment Trends Index decreased slightly in November, making the fourth monthly drop this year.