Economy Watch: Retail Sales Edge Up
The Census Bureau reported that U.S. retail sales were up 0.1 percent month-over-month in April, adjusting for seasonal variations and holidays, but not price changes.
‘Economy Watch’ Podcast with Dees Stribling: Some Good News This Week
Some good news in a week without too much news.
Economy Watch: Senior Home Builders More Optimistic
The National Association of Homebuilders said that its 55+ Single-Family Housing Market Index increased 19 points year-over-year to 46 in the first quarter of 2013.
Economy Watch: Strong Q1 for Fannie Mae
On Thursday, a day after Freddie Mac reported sizeable income in the first quarter, the considerably larger GSE Fannie Mae reported income of $8.1 billion for the first quarter of 2013, compared with income of $2.7 billion in the first quarter of 2012 and income of $7.6 billion in the fourth quarter of 2012.
Economy Watch: Freddie Mac in the Black
Freddie Mac reported that it had a net income of $4.6 billion for the first quarter of 2013, compared to a net income of $4.5 billion for the fourth quarter of 2012.
Economy Watch: Home Prices Continue Upward Trajectory
More evidence that the housing market is in recovery mode.
Economy Watch: Mortgage Delinquencies Continue to Edge Down
Lender Processing Services said that 6.59 percent of U.S. residential mortgages were delinquent in March, down from 6.8 percent in February.
Economy Watch: Jobs Report Mostly Positive, Wall Street Reacts
The headline numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics—a net of 165,000 new jobs in April, and upward revisions for the previous months—were well received, especially by investors.
‘Economy Watch’ Podcast with Dees Stribling: A Pretty Week for the Economy
A pretty week for the economy, capped by a decent jobs report.
Economy Watch: Hiring Improves in April
The U.S. economy created 165,000 jobs in April, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which isn’t completely robust but at least puts to rest fears of a sharp slowdown in hiring.