Tag Archives: Market Studies

The labor market has taken significant steps in the quest to return to pre-recession employment levels. Still, concerns remain among many about the quality of jobs being created. Wages have increased over the past year but at only a 2.3 percent growth rate, they lag behind the growth rate that they should be experiencing at this point in the business cycle. A change may be in the air.

Existing-home sales in June touched their highest level so far this year as the supply of available homes for sale continued to improve. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported a 2.6 percent month-over-month rise in existing-home sales last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.04 million. May sales were revised slightly upward to a rate of 4.91 million.

According to the July 2014 U.S. Economic Housing Outlook released Monday by Freddie Mac; the economic results were mixed in the first half of the year as the housing industry slowed.

The old adage “everything’s bigger in Texas” really does ring true sometimes. The nation’s second most populous state leads the nation in job growth and is consistently ranked as the one of the best climates for business in the United States.

Minnesota is generally a very consistent performer in the economy when compared to the United States Economy as a whole. The peaks are never too high and the valleys are never too low. On Friday Wells Fargo released its July 2014 economic outlook reinforcing that the state economy is greatly improved but housing still lags behind.

Market trends across the United States indicate a recovering real estate market—but not a bubble—according to the latest Home Value Forecast fromPro Teck Valuation Services.

In an important signpost of recovery, foreclosure activity in the United States has fallen to levels not seen since before the financial crisis began, according to a report issued by RealtyTrac Thursday.

A report released Tuesday by S&P Dow Jones Indices and Experian showed a decline in default rates among five of the largest cities in the nation to historically low levels.

The Federal Reserve Bank of New York released Monday the findings of its June 2014 Survey of Consumer Expectations (SCE), revealing a slight uptick in economic hopes among Americans as housing expectations remained flat.

Applications for new home purchases slipped again in June, though the annualized rate of new home sales is forecast to have increased. The Mortgage Bankers Association's (MBA) Builder Applications Survey (BAS), a gauge of application volume from mortgage subsidiaries of homebuilders, suggests new home purchase applications slipped 5 percent from May to June, the group reported Thursday. The change does not include any adjustments for typical seasonal movements.