Average Duration of Unemployment

May 2, 2025 The average duration of unemployment rose 0.4 week in April to 23.2 weeks after 1.5 weeks in March,  It appears that unemployed workers are having a somewhat more difficult time becoming reemployed than they were six months or so ago. Stephen Slifer...

Construction Spending

May 1, 2025 Construction spending (the green bars above) fell 0.5% in March after rising 0.6% in February.  This indicator has been essentially flat since the end of last year..  In the past 12 months it has risen 2.8%. Private construction spending (excluding the...

Pending Home Sales

April 30, 2025 Pending home sales jumped 6.1% in March to 76.5 after having risen 2.1% in February. The National Association of Realtors chief economist, Lawrence Yun said, “Home buyers are acutely sensitive to even minor fluctuations in mortgage rates.  While...

GDP

April 30, 2025 . The advance estimate of first quarter GDP was a decline of 0.3%.  That compares to the final estimate of fourth quarter GDP of 2.5%.  Growth in the past year has been 2.0%.  That first quarter decline was seriously distorted by a dramatic increase in...