Last week's economic news included readings on housing starts, building permits issued and sales of pre-owned homes. The Fed's Federal Open Market Committee issued its customary post-meeting statement and Fed Chair Janet Yellen gave a press conference. Weekly readings on mortgage rates and new jobless claims were also released. Housing Starts Lower, but Building Permits Increase August saw fewer housing starts with 1.18 million starts on a seasonally-adjusted annual basis. July's reading was … [Read more...]

Last week's economic readings release included reports on inflation, core inflation retail sales and retail sales excluding autos. Consumer sentiment, along with weekly readings on mortgage rates and new jobless claims were also reported. Inflation Exceeds Expectations, Retail Sales Lag Consumer prices rose 0.40 percent in August, which surpassed expectations of 0.30 percent growth and July's reading of 0.10 percent. Core consumer prices, which exclude volatile food and energy sectors, matched … [Read more...]

Last week's economic news was slim due to the Labor Day Holiday. Scheduled releases included the Fed's Beige Book Report and weekly readings on mortgage rates and new jobless claims.  Beige Book Cites Concerns Over U.S. Auto Industry Federal Reserve Board members shared anecdotes from their respective regions; of note were concerns about U.S. automakers. Auto production was more than 16 percent lower year-over-year in Cleveland, Ohio. Fed business contacts said that automakers are no longer … [Read more...]

Last week's economic reports included readings on home prices, pending home sales and construction spending. Weekly reports on mortgage rates and new jobless claims were released along with labor-sector readings on Non-Farm Payrolls, ADP employment and National Unemployment. Case-Shiller: Three Western Cities Hold Top Three Places for Home Price Growth According to Case-Shiller's June edition of its 20-City Home Price Index, the top three spots were again held by Seattle, Washington, Portland … [Read more...]