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Housing, inflation and jobs data highlight a busy week of reports. Look for appreciation data on Tuesday, while Wednesday brings Pending Home Sales and the first estimate of third quarter GDP. The Fed’s favored inflation measure, Personal Consumption Expenditures, will be reported on Thursday. We’ll also see updates on job openings Tuesday, private payrolls Wednesday, […]

These Candy Bucket Cookies courtesy of the Food Network are a great way to enjoy leftover Halloween candy. Yields 20 cookies. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, mix 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In […]

The Conference Board released their latest Leading Economic Index (LEI), which takes a broad look at the economy and tracks where it’s heading in the near term. September brought a 0.5% drop, which followed August’s 0.3% decline. This report has been negative for 29 out of the last 30 months, with the other month being […]

The number of people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time declined by 15,000 in the latest week, as 227,000 Initial Jobless Claims were reported. Continuing Claims rose by 28,000, with 1.897 million people still receiving benefits after filing their initial claim. What’s the bottom line? Initial Jobless Claims declined after the recent spike […]

  New Home Sales, which measure signed contracts on new homes, rose 4.1% from August to September, with the 738,000-unit pace reaching the highest level in over a year. Signed contracts were also 6.3% higher than they were in September of last year. There were 470,000 new homes for sale at the end of September, […]

Existing Home Sales, which reflect closings on existing homes, fell for the second straight month in September, down 1% from August and 3.5% from a year ago. The 3.84-million-unit pace represents a 14-year low as NAR’s Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun, noted that “home sales have been essentially stuck at around a four-million-unit pace for the […]

These Cranberry Orange Scones courtesy of Allrecipes make for a delicious treat all season long. Yields 12 scones. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. In a large bowl, stir together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1 tablespoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cut in 1/4 cup […]

Initial Jobless Claims fell 19,000 in the latest week, with 241,000 people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time. Continuing Claims rose by 9,000, as 1.867 million people are still receiving benefits after filing their initial claim. What’s the bottom line? Initial Jobless Claims have been volatile in recent weeks, as the hurricanes have […]

Retail Sales rose 0.4% in September, above the 0.3% gain the market was expecting. The Core reading, which gets plugged into GDP, rose a much stronger than expected 0.7%, which may lead to stronger GDP estimates down the line. What’s the bottom line? Overall, the sales figures for September show that consumer spending remains resilient, […]

Housing Starts eased from August to September, as the small increase in single-family home building was outweighed by a decline in multi-family projects. We saw a similar pattern in Building Permits, which are the forward-looking indicator for new home inventory. Single-family completions also declined for the month, which will not help on the inventory front. […]

Easing inflation and the anticipation of falling mortgage rates have led to an improvement in home builder sentiment, per the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), who reported that their Housing Market Index increased two points to 43 in October. What’s the bottom line? While home builder confidence remains below 50 in contraction territory, it […]

National Chocolate Cupcake Day is October 18, but this recipe courtesy of the Food Network is worth enjoying every day of the year. Yields 12 cupcakes. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a muffin pan with paper liners. Cream 1/4 pound unsalted butter (room temperature) and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add […]

ICE (formerly known as Black Knight) reported that national home values rose 0.12% in August after seasonal adjustments, with their index showing that prices are 3% higher than a year ago, down from 3.6% in the previous report. What’s the bottom line? ICE is not alone in their findings, as home price gains continue to […]

Initial Jobless Claims were higher than expected in the latest week, rising by 33,000 for a total of 258,000 people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time. Continuing Claims also surged higher by 42,000, as 1.861 million people are still receiving benefits after filing their initial claim. What’s the bottom line? Initial Jobless Claims […]

The Producer Price Index (PPI), which measures inflation on the wholesale level, was unchanged in September, with the annual reading falling from an upwardly revised 1.9% to 1.8%. Core PPI, which strips out volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.2% for the month and the year-over-year reading moved higher to 2.8%. What’s the bottom line? […]