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Initial Jobless Claims fell by 5,000 in the latest week, with 227,000 people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time. Continuing Claims dropped by 22,000, as 1.838 million people are still receiving benefits after filing their initial claim. What’s the bottom line? While Initial Jobless Claims fell to their lowest level since May, the […]

The latest Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) showed that job openings fell to 7.7 million in July, well below estimates, as June’s report was also revised lower. The level of job openings continues to moderate and is down almost 13% from July of last year. The hiring rate rose to 3.5%, which is […]

ADP’s Employment Report showed that private employers added 99,000 new jobs in August versus the 145,000 that had been forecasted, marking the fifth straight month that job creation slowed. Gains in education and health services, construction, and leisure and hospitality were offset by losses seen in the manufacturing, information, and professional and business services sectors. […]

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that there were 142,000 jobs created in August, which was below estimates of 160,000. Negative revisions to June and July shaved 86,000 jobs from those months combined. The unemployment rate fell from 4.3% to 4.2%, but for the wrong reasons as noted below. What’s the bottom line? There […]

September is National Honey Month, making now the perfect time to enjoy these Honey Cookies courtesy of Allrecipes. Yields 4 dozen cookies. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt together 1 cup sugar, 1 cup butter, and 1 cup honey in a saucepan over low heat. Let cool. In a small bowl, mix 2 large […]

Initial Jobless Claims fell slightly in the latest week, with 231,000 people filing for unemployment benefits for the first time. Continuing Claims rose by 13,000, as 1.868 million people are still receiving benefits after filing their initial claim, meaning this metric remains near the highs from November 2021. What’s the bottom line? Both Initial and […]

The U.S. economy grew by 3% in the second quarter per the latest Gross Domestic Product report from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This second reading of the data was above the initial 2.8% estimate and more than double the 1.4% growth seen in the first quarter of this year. What’s the bottom line? Economic […]

Pending Home Sales plunged 5.5% from June to July, per the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR), coming in well below estimates of a flat reading. Sales were also 8.5% lower than they were a year earlier. This report measures signed contracts on existing homes, making it an important forward-looking indicator for closings on these homes […]

The Case-Shiller Home Price Index, which is considered the “gold standard” for appreciation, showed home prices nationwide rose 0.2% from May to June after seasonal adjustment, breaking the previous month’s all-time high. Home values in June were also 5.4% higher than a year earlier, following a 5.9% gain in May. The Federal Housing Finance Agency’s […]

July’s Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) showed that headline inflation rose 0.2% from June, while the year-over-year reading remained at 2.5%. Core PCE, the Fed’s preferred method which strips out volatile food and energy prices, also rose 0.2% monthly. The year-over-year reading held steady at 2.6%, remaining at the lowest level in three years. What’s the […]

Mortgage Bonds have broken above a very important ceiling of resistance at 100.79.  There is a lot of room for continued improvement before reaching the next ceiling at 101.18. The 10-year yield is testing an important floor at 3.80%.  The last few times tested, this level has held, but a convincing break beneath it means […]

Look for more housing news, starting with appreciation data for June from Case-Shiller and the Federal Housing Finance Agency on Tuesday.  July’s Pending Home Sales will be reported on Thursday. Also on Thursday, we’ll see the second reading on second quarter GDP and the latest Jobless Claims.  Friday brings the most crucial report of the […]

August 31 is National Trail Mix Day, and this Pumpkin Seed Cherry Trail Mix courtesy of the Food Network makes for a healthy and delicious snack to enjoy. Yields about 6 cups. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss 2 cups pumpkin seeds, 1 […]

Initial Jobless Claims, which measures individuals filing for unemployment benefits for the first time, rose 4,000 to 232,000 but this figure is still lower than some of the readings last month. This applied some pressure to the Bond market, as it shows there are less firings happening but a lot of the other labor data are […]

New Home Sales, which measures signed contracts on new homes, rose 10.6% to a 739,000-unit annualized pace, blowing out estimates of a 1% rise.  Additionally, June was revised significantly higher, causing July’s gain to appear lower.  When considering the revision, sales rose 20% from the originally reported figure in June, which is very strong. There […]