Labor/Economy

‘Economy Watch’ Podcast with Dees Stribling: Homebuilders are Happy

Homebuilders are happy, and there’s no inflation to speak of.

Economy Watch: Housing Starts Up in July

Housing starts continued their upward trajectory in July, with private starts coming in at an annualized rate of 896,000 units, a 5.9 percent increase compared with June, the Census Bureau reported.

Economy Watch: Household Debt Continues to Drop

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York, in its latest Household Debt and Credit Report, reported on Wednesday that outstanding U.S. household debt declined by $78 billion from the previous quarter, due in large part to a decline in housing-related debt. In 2Q13 total household indebtedness fell to $11.15 trillion, a drop of 0.7 percent compared with the previous quarter, and 12 percent below the peak of $12.68 trillion in 3Q08. One way or another, Americans are still deleveraging.

‘Economy Watch’ Podcast with Dees Stribling: Long-Term Real Estate Investment is Down

Wages and salaries are up, but long-term investment in real estate is down.

Economy Watch: Mortgage Delinquencies, Foreclosures Drop in 2Q

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that the delinquency rate for mortgage loans on one-to-four-unit residential properties decreased to 6.96 percent of all loans outstanding at the end of the second quarter of 2013, the lowest level since mid-2008.

Economy Watch: Real Estate Investment Still Low

The Bureau of Economic Analysis released some of the underlying details of last week’s preliminary GDP report, including information about real estate investment trends, by measuring such investments as a percentage of GDP.

Economy Watch: More Evidence of Higher Home Prices

Case-Shiller’s most recent numbers last week pointed to sustained growth in U.S. home valuations, though the report was for the three months ending in May.

Economy Watch: Lenders Ease Their Standards (a Bit) in 2Q

According to the Federal Reserve, reporting in its July 2013 Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices, domestic banks claim (on balance) to have eased their lending standards, and have experienced stronger demand for loans over the past three months.

‘Economy Watch’ Podcast with Dees Stribling: A Moderately Good Week

A moderately good week—or should that be modestly good week?—for the U.S. economy.