Labor/Economy
Economy Watch: Fannie, Freddie Report Solid Q2
Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac reported their second quarter numbers: Fannie Mae reported income of $3.7 billion for the quarter, and Freddie Mac reported income of $1.9 billion.
Economy Watch: Mortgage Delinquencies Continue Dropping
The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit U.S. residential properties decreased to 6.04 percent of all loans outstanding at the end of the second quarter of 2014, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
Economy Watch: U.S. Births Slightly Higher in 2013 Than ’12
The National Center for Health Statistics reported in “Births: Preliminary Data for 2013” that the number of U.S. births was 3,957,577 last year, slightly more (4,736) than during 2012.
Economy Watch: Home Price Increases Continue to Slow
Home prices nationwide, including distressed sales, increased 7.5 percent in June 2014 compared to last June, according to CoreLogic, another indication that the upward momentum of prices has slowed down.
‘Economy Watch’ Podcast with Dees Stribling: A Decent Month for Job Creation
July was a decent month for job creation.
Economy Watch: Lenders Loosening Lending Standards for Some Loans
The Federal Reserve said in its July 2014 Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices that such practices are being loosened, but not quite for every kind of loan.
Economy Watch: July Jobs Gain Healthy, Broad-Based
Jobs gains in July, while not quite as robust as in June, were nevertheless broad-based. Professional and business services added 47,000 jobs during the month, including gains in architectural and engineering services.
Economy Watch: Economy Adds 209K Jobs in July
The U.S. economy added 209,000 jobs in July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Economy Watch: GDP Surges in Q2
U.S. real gross domestic product increased at an annualized rate of 4 percent in the second quarter of 2014, according to the first estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.