Mortgage rates well under 7% over the past month have led to a sharp increase in builder confidence to begin the new year. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes climbed seven points to 44 in January, according to the National Association…
Over the first eleven months of 2023, the total number of single-family permits issued year-to-date (YTD) nationwide reached 843,654. On a year-over-year (YoY) basis, this is 8.5% below the November 2022 level of 921,626. Year-to-date ending in November, single-family permits declined in all four regions….
According to the latest Producer Price Index report, growth in the average price level of inputs to residential construction less energy (i.e., building materials) fell from 15.0% in 2022 to 1.3% in 2023 (not seasonally adjusted). On a monthly basis, building materials prices rose 0.1% in…
Consumer prices rose again in December, driven by higher energy prices and sticky housing costs. Despite the increase, overall inflation has moderated by nearly half, declining from 6.5% in 2022 to 3.4% by the end of 2023. However, even after peaking in March 2023, shelter…
Per the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) survey through the week ending January 5th, total mortgage activity increased 9.9% from the previous week, and the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) rate rose five basis points to 6.81%. After the total mortgage activity index fell 10.7% in…
According to the Federal Reserve’s latest G.19 Consumer Credit report, total consumer credit outstanding totaled $5.00 trillion (seasonally adjusted) for the first time in November—a 5.7% monthly increase (seasonally adjusted annual rate). The increase reflected a 17.7% surge in revolving credit and a more modest…
The year-over-year (YOY) growth rate for residential building worker wages decelerated to 0.6% in June 2023. Over the past five months, wage growth accelerated moderately and reached 4.0% in November. Overall, average hourly earnings for residential building workers* increased at a relatively slower pace in…
