Archive for January, 2014
Friday, January 24th, 2014
- December existing home sales increased 1.0% to an annualized rate of 4,870 thousand units, according to the National Association of Realtors. The median sales price of existing houses sold was $198.0 thousand, 9.9% above December 2012.
- U.S. House prices increased 0.1% on a seasonally adjusted basis from October to November, according to the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) monthly House Price Index. For the 12 months ending in November, U.S. prices rose 7.6%. The index is 8.9% below its April 2007 peak and is roughly the same as the April 2005 index level.
- The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey of January 23nd showed average fixed mortgage rates decreasing for the second consecutive week.
- Mortgage applications increased 4.7% from a week earlier, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending January 17th.
- The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance increased a thousand to 326 thousand in the week ending January 18.
- The Conference Board index of leading economic indicators increased 0.1% in December, while the coincident index increased 0.2%.
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Friday, January 17th, 2014
- Advance estimates of retail and food services sales for December were up 0.2% from the previous month, and were up 4.1% from December 2012. Retail and food services sales for the year 2013 were up 4.2% from the previous year.
- Total manufacturing and trade sales for November were up 0.8%, while inventories were up 0.4%.
- Total Industrial production increased 0.3% in December. The rate of capacity utilization for total industry was 79.2%. Total industrial production rose 2.6% in the year 2013.
- Housing starts decreased 9.8% in December, while building permits decreased 3.0%. The total number of starts for the year 2013 was up 18.3% from the previous year.
- The housing market index of National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo decreased a point to 56 in January.
- The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey of January 16th showed average fixed mortgage rates decreasing from the previous week.
- Mortgage applications increased 11.9% from a week earlier, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending January 10th.
- The federal government budget ran a surplus of $53.2 billion in December, after a deficit of $135.2 billion in the previous month.
- The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased 2 thousand to 326 thousand in the week ending January 11.
- Real average hourly earnings for all employees decreased 0.3% from November to December.
- The consumer price index (headline index) rose 0.3% in December, while the core index increased 0.1%. The consumer price index increased 1.5% for the 12-month period ending in December, while the core index rose 1.7%.
- The producer price index for finished goods (headline index) increased 0.4% in December, while the core index increased 0.3%. The producer price index for finished goods increased 1.2% from December 2012 to December 2013, while the core index increased 1.4%
- The import price index held steady in December, while the export price index increased 0.4%.The import price index decreased 1.3% from December 2012, while export prices decreased 1.0%.
- The January 2014 Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicated that business activity expanded for New York manufacturers.
- The Philadelphia FED business outlook survey for January reported growth in manufacturing activity.
- The FED’s “Beige Book” indicated that overall economic activity continued to expand across most regions and sectors from late November through the end of the year.
- The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment, preliminary, decreased to 80.4 in early January.
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Friday, January 10th, 2014
- Total non-farm payroll employment increased 74 thousand in December, following an increase of 241 thousand in the previous month. Private-sector payrolls increased by 87 thousand in the month, while government employment decreased by 13 thousand.
- The number of unemployed persons decreased to 10.351 million. The unemployment rate decreased to 6.7% in December, from 7.0% in November. The unemployment rate was 7.9% in December of 2012.
- The average workweek of all employees on private nonfarm payrolls decreased 0.1 to 34.4 hours. Average hourly earnings increased by 2 cents to $24.17, while average weekly earnings decreased by $1.73 to $831.45. Over the past 12 months, average hourly earnings were up 1.8%, and average weekly earnings were up 1.5%.
- The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased 15 thousand to 330 thousand in the week ending January 4.
- Sales of domestic cars decreased 7.7% in December, while total light vehicle (cars and light trucks) sales decreased 6.2%. Total vehicle sales were 15.298 million units in December, at a seasonally adjusted annual rate, compared to 16.306 million in the previous month, and 15.183 million in December of 2012.
- New orders for manufactured goods increased 1.8% in November, while shipments increased 1.0%.
- Sales of merchant wholesalers in November were up 1.0% from the previous month, while inventories were up 0.5%.
- In November, international trade deficit was $34.3 billion, $5.0 billion less than the revised October figure. The cumulative trade deficit for the first eleven months of 2013 was $435.1 billion, compared with a cumulative deficit of $496.3 billion during the first eleven months of 2012.
- November consumer credit outstanding increased at an annual rate of 4.8%. Revolving credits increased at an annual rate of 0.6%, while non-revolving credits increased 6.4%.
- The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey of January 9th showed average fixed mortgage rates little changed from the previous week.
- Mortgage applications increased 2.6% from a week earlier, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending January 3rd.
- In December, the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) non-manufacturing survey results indicated growth in the non-manufacturing business activity (exceeded 50.0%) for the 48th consecutive month.
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Friday, January 3rd, 2014
- Construction spending increased 1.0% in November, following a 0.9% decrease in the previous month. Private construction increased 2.2%, while public construction decreased 1.8%.
- The Pending Home Sales Index, a leading indicator for the housing sector, increased 0.2% in November, according to the National Association of Realtors.
- The S & P/Case-Shiller National U.S. Home Price Indices posted annual increases of 13.6% in the 12 months ending in October, for both 10-city and 20-city composites.
- The results of Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey of January 2nd showed average fixed mortgage rates continuing to edge higher.
- Mortgage applications decreased 6.3% from a week earlier, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending December 20th.
- The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance decreased 2 thousand to 339 thousand in the week ending December 28.
- The Conference Board’s consumer confidence index, which had decreased in November, rebounded in December.
- The Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) manufacturing survey indicated that the manufacturing sector expanded in December for the seventh consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 55th consecutive month.
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