INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE... The last week of the year gave us the encouraging report that Pending Home Sales, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) index of contracts signed on existing homes, edged ahead 0.2% in November. The chief economist of a major financial services firm ...

Last week saw three housing market reports that surprised to the upside. Existing Home Sales shot up 5.6% in November, to a 5.81 million annual rate, their fastest sales pace since 2006. Demand stays strong (44% of homes sold in less than a month), though supply in many ...

INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE... The big news last week wasn't actually news to anyone, as virtually no one was surprised that the Fed hiked rates a quarter percent at the FOMC meeting, to the range of 1.25%-1.50%. The Fed's "dot plot," released ...

INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE... Last week we got the good news that both New and Pending Home Sales are heading in the right direction--UP. October New Home Sales rose 6.2%, to a 685,000 annual rate, soundly beating forecasts for the second month in a row ...

INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE... We keep hearing concerns that tight existing home inventories and rising prices will shrink sales, but the latest data lays those worries to rest. October Existing Home Sales increased 2.0%, to a 5.48 million annual rate. Sales grew in every major ...

While home construction data suffered storm damage in September, New Home Sales broke free and soared. Gross Domestic Product also flexed its muscle.

The Commerce Department reported that New Home Sales surged 18.9 percent in September from August to their highest level since October 2007. This was the largest ...

Storms damaged data on Housing Starts and Building Permits from August to September, while Existing Home Sales edged higher.

Hurricanes Harvey and Irma put a dent in new home construction in Florida and southern Texas. The Commerce Department reported that total September Housing Starts fell 4.7 percent from August ...

Consumers weren't afraid to spend in September after holding back in August.

Folks were spending in September, according to the most recent Retail Sales report issued by the Commerce Department. This was welcome news, as consumer spending makes up about two-thirds of the U.S. economy. Sales were up ...

Job growth plunged in September due to Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.

The Labor Department reported that payroll growth declined by 33,000 jobs versus the 75,000 increase in new jobs expected. July job growth was revised lower by 51,000 to 138,000, while August was revised higher by ...

Existing Home Sales and Housing Starts declined while the Fed announced plans to unwind.

High prices and low inventories curtailed Existing Home Sales in August. The National Association of REALTORS® (NAR) reported that Existing Home Sales fell 1.7 percent from July to an annual rate of 5.35 million ...