· Housing starts rose 8.3% in June, while building permits increased 7.4%.
· The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo National Housing Market Index (HMI) decreased 2 points to 64 in July. The Index was 67 in January, and 58 a year ago.
· Mortgage applications increased 6.3% from a week earlier, according to data from Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending July 14th.
· The advance figure for initial claims for unemployment insurance was 233 thousand in the week ending July 15, a decrease of 15 thousand from the previous week’s level. The 4-week moving average was 243.75 thousand, a decrease of 2.25 thousand from the previous week’s average.
· The import price index decreased 0.2% in June, following a 0.1% decrease in the previous month. The export price index decreased 0.2%, following a 0.5% decrease in the previous month. The import price index increased 1.5% from June 2016, while export prices increased 0.6%.
· The July 2017 Empire State Manufacturing Survey indicated that business activity grew modestly for New York manufacturers.
· The Philadelphia FED business outlook survey for July reported growth at a slower pace in manufacturing activity.
· The Conference Board index of leading economic indicators increased 0.6% in June, while the coincident index increased 0.2%.