Case Shiller Index of Home Prices

February 27, 2024 The seasonally adjusted Case Shiller Index of Home Prices in 20 cities rose 0.2% in December after climbing 0.2% in November.  The rate of increase in home prices has slowed from double-digit gains in 2021 and 2022 to 6.2% currently.  But the most...

New Home Sales

February 26, 2024 New home sales rose 1.5% in January to  661 thousand after having jumped 7.2% in December,   While obviously volatile on a month-to-month basis, new home sales reached a low point in the middle of last year, but have risen somewhat since then.....

Existing Home Sales

February 22, 2024 . Existing home sales rose 3.1% in January to a 4,000 thousand pace after having declined 0.8% in December  Sales had been falling for almost two years as the combination of sharply higher mortgage rates and higher home prices took their toll  But...

Housing Starts

February 16, 2024 Housing starts plunged 14.8% in January to 1,331 thousand after  having risen 3.3% in December as extremely cold and snowy conditions throughout much of the country in January took a toll.    But because building permits were relatively steady we do...

Homebuilder Confidence

February 15, 2024 Homebuilder confidence rose 4 points in February to 48, after climbing 7 points in January and 3 points in December.  Thus, confidence has risen 14 points in the past three months as mortgage rates have declined by a percentage point.   But keep in...

Construction Spending

February 1, 2024 Construction spending (the green bars above) rose 0.9% in both November and December after having jumped 2.1% in October.  This is the twelfth consecutive increase in construction spending.   In the past 12 months it has risen 13.9%.  As indicated ...