>> Market Update
QUOTE OF THE WEEK..."To a journalist, good news is often not news at all."--Phil Donahue
INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE...Well, journalists had plenty of their kind of news to write about with last week's housing reports. The bad stuff began with February Housing Starts dropping 22.5% to a level close to the April 2009 low, which was the lowest on record. Most of the drop was from multi-family starts, which are volatile on a monthly basis. Single-family starts were down 11.8%. New Building Permits fell 8.2% for February. This gauges activity a few months out, indicating starts in the Spring ought to be up a bit from now.
Nonetheless, experts feel building and sales activity should normalize to much higher rates in the next few years. The population is growing and aging housing stock needs to be replaced. Analysts say builders usually need to put up at least one million homes a year to keep up with these demands. Maybe that's why an industry index of builder sentiment actually ticked up a point for March, putting it at its highest level since May 2010, when the homebuyer tax credits were making everyone feel good.
BUSINESS TIP OF THE WEEK...Don't forget to smile. You may think people buy from you because of price, quality and the fact you stand behind your work. Those factors count, but ultimately, people buy because they like you.
>> Review of Last Week
MELTDOWN ON WALL STREET...As of Friday, a nuclear disaster at Japan's Fukushima complex had been averted, but that didn't stop stocks from having their own meltdown. Investors sold off holdings, worried over Japan's nuclear crisis, Libya's civil war spreading to other oil producers, as well as the European Union's lingering sovereign debt problems. The market did manage two good days at the end, but they weren't good enough to prevent another weekly drop in all three major indexes, although many people felt things could have been a lot worse.
Economic news was mixed, the negative part being Housing Starts and Building Permits, covered above. On the very positive side was the Philadelphia Fed Index for March showing solid manufacturing growth in that region. Wholesale (PPI) and Consumer (CPI) Inflation were both up more than expected, thanks to higher energy and food prices. But the Fed focuses on Core CPI, which eliminates food and energy, and remains within an acceptable range. It seems like almost everyone but the Fed is concerned about inflation picking up. Homebuyers should note that real estate is still, even now, an excellent hedge against inflation over the long term.
For the week, the Dow ended down 1.5%, at 11,859; the S&P 500 was down 1.9%, to 1,279; and the Nasdaq was down 2.6%, ending at 2,644.
With Japan's nuclear fears prominent in the news all week, investors' "flight to safety" in bonds became a flat-out run. The FNMA 4.0% bond we watch ended up .95 for the week, closing at $99.10. In line with this, Freddie Mac's weekly survey of conforming mortgages showed national average mortgage rates easing a little more in their historically low range. Many economists forecast mortgage rates to rise this year as the economy recovers, but now feel low rates may remain a tad longer than expected.
DID YOU KNOW?...This week's GDP estimate refers to our nation's Gross Domestic Product. This is the total final value of all U.S. goods and services produced in a year: all consumer, investment and government spending, plus the value of all exports, minus the value of all imports. GDP growth is what counts, with 2.5% to 3.0% the historical average.
>> This Week’s Forecast
FEBRUARY HOME SALES AND ANOTHER LOOK AT Q4 GDP...February isn't usually a top month for home sales and the experts don't expect that situation to change. Monday's Existing Home Sales for February are expected to be down from January, coming in at a 5.05M annual rate. But Wednesday's New Home Sales for February should be up slightly from the prior month, at a 288K annual rate.
But the overall economic picture appears to be picking up. The Third Estimate of Q4 GDP is forecast up another 0.1%, to 2.9%, showing that the overall economy continues to grow. Consumers' attitudes are holding steady in the University of Michigan's Sentiment Index for March.
>> The Week’s Economic Indicator Calendar
Weaker than expected economic data tends to send bond prices up and interest rates down, while positive data points to lower bond prices and rising loan rates.
Economic Calendar for the Week of March 21 – March 25
Date Time (ET) Release For Consensus Prior Impact
M
Mar 21 10:00 Existing Home Sales Feb 5.05M 5.36M Moderate
W
Mar 23 10:00 New Home Sales Feb 288K 284K Moderate
W
Mar 23 10:30 Crude Inventories 3/19 NA 1.745M Moderate
Th
Mar 24 08:30 Initial Unemployment Claims 3/19 384K 385K Moderate
Th
Mar 24 08:30 Continuing Unemployment Claims 3/9 3.700M 3.706M Moderate
Th
Mar 24 08:30 Durable Goods Orders Feb 0.9% 3.2% Moderate
F
Mar 25 08:30 GDP-Third Estimate Q4 2.9% 2.8% Moderate
F
Mar 25 08:30 GDP Deflator-Third Estimate Q4 0.4% 0.4% Moderate
F
Mar 25 09:55 Univ. of Michigan Consumer Sentiment-Final Mar 68.0 68.2 Moderate
>> Federal Reserve Watch
Forecasting Federal Reserve policy changes in coming months...The Fed's FOMC Policy Statement last week said that they weren't worried about inflation and that although the economy is improving, the recovery isn't strong enough to withstand a rise in interest rates. So economists are forecasting the Funds Rate to stay where it is well into the second half of the year. Note: In the lower chart, a 1% probability of change is a 99% certainty the rate will stay the same.
Current Fed Funds Rate: 0%–0.25%
After FOMC meeting on: Consensus
Apr 27 0%–0.25%
Jun 22 0%–0.25%
Aug 9 0%–0.25%
Probability of change from current policy:
After FOMC meeting on: Consensus
Apr 27 <1%
Jun 22 <1%
Aug 9 2%
Monday, March 21, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
For the week of March 14, 2011
For the week of March 14, 2011 – Vol. 9, Issue 11
>> Market Update
QUOTE OF THE WEEK..."An economist's guess is liable to be as good as anybody else's."--Will Rogers
INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE...Last week there was no guessing involved in the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) report that applications for purchase mortgages hit their highest level of the year. The MBA credited this to the improving job market and mortgage rates remaining at super low levels. This demand for purchase mortgages was up 12.5% from the week before and at its highest level since last May. Freddie Mac's weekly survey of conforming mortgages showed mortgage rates pretty much unchanged, at historically low levels for the third week in a row.
Another UCLA Anderson Forecast came out, reporting that the economy is growing and employment should soon pick up steam. But this somewhat pessimistic group of West Coast economists feel housing will continue to lag behind other sectors. Nonetheless, they see a "modest" recovery in housing starts, up 12% this year, then hitting 1 million in 2012 and approaching 1.5 million in 2013, thanks to pent-up demand.
BUSINESS TIP OF THE WEEK...Get out of your comfort zone. Don't keep doing things a certain way just because that's how you've always done them. Be open to new ideas and technology. Things can't change for the better if you're not open to change.
>> Review of Last Week
STOCKS SLIP...All three stock market indexes registered their second weekly decline in the past three weeks. The Middle East continued to concern investors as the disturbances expanded to Saudi Arabia where no one on Wall Street wanted to see them go, fearing even higher oil prices. But Friday we were all shocked by the devastation of Japan's worst earthquake in over 100 years. Oil prices seemed far less of a worry and they actually wound up down for the week.
Economic news was light but net positive. New weekly unemployment claims were up a bit, after dropping the week before, but the four-week moving average is now 392,000, quite a bit below last summer's readings. Continuing unemployment claims dropped to 3.77 million, its lowest level since October 2008! These trends are in the right direction for the country overall and for housing in particular. Friday saw Retail Sales UP 1.0% in February, increasing now eight months in a row, their longest streak of gains in over ten years! Consumers are definitely helping out.
For the week, the Dow ended down 1.0%, at 12,044; the S&P 500 was down 1.3%, to 1,304; and the Nasdaq was down 2.5%, ending at 2,716.
Amidst slipping stocks, bond prices held up, with buying driven by the turmoil in the Middle East and strong auctions. The FNMA 4.0% bond we watch ended up .01 for the week, closing at $98.15. As noted above, Freddie Mac's weekly survey of conforming mortgages showed national average mortgage rates still at historically low levels. But buyers should not expect these rates to last forever, as the economic data continues to improve.
DID YOU KNOW?...The Federal Open Market Committee, or FOMC, is the policymaking body of the Fed. Its meeting this week is one of eight held each year to discuss the economy and monetary policy options to promote stable prices and growth.
>> This Week’s Forecast
HOMEBUILDERS, INFLATION, THE FED...This week highlights three favorite topics. Wednesday we see how homebuilders are feeling, as reflected by February Housing Starts, expected to be down a little, and Building Permits, showing builders' sentiment further out, which should be up a bit.
Tuesday we'll have the FOMC Rate Decision from the Fed. Economists don't expect the Funds Rate to move off its rock-bottom level, but they'll dissect the Policy Statement coming out of the confab for signs of when the rate may go up. Rising inflation can hike the rate, but Wednesday's wholesale inflation (PPI) and Thursday's consumer inflation (CPI) readings are expected to hold steady.
>> The Week’s Economic Indicator Calendar
Weaker than expected economic data tends to send bond prices up and interest rates down, while positive data points to lower bond prices and rising loan rates.
Economic Calendar for the Week of March 14 – March 18
Date Time (ET) Release For Consensus Prior Impact
Tu
Mar 15 08:30 NY Empire State Manufacturing Index Mar 17.0 15.43 Moderate
Tu
Mar 15 14:15 FOMC Rate Decision 3/15 0%–0.25% 0%–0.25% HIGH
W
Mar 16 08:30 Housing Starts Feb 570K 596K Moderate
W
Mar 16 08:30 Building Permits Feb 573K 562K Moderate
W
Mar 16 08:30 Producer Price Index (PPI) Feb 0.6% 0.8% Moderate
W
Mar 16 08:30 Core PPI Feb 0.2% 0.5% Moderate
W
Mar 16 10:30 Crude Inventories 3/12 NA 2.52M Moderate
Th
Mar 17 08:30 Initial Unemployment Claims 3/12 387K 397K Moderate
Th
Mar 17 08:30 Continuing Unemployment Claims 3/5 3.750M 3.771M Moderate
Th
Mar 17 08:30 Consumer Price Index (CPI) Feb 0.4% 0.4% HIGH
F
Mar 11 08:30 Core CPI Feb 0.1% 0.2% HIGH
Th
Mar 17 09:15 Industrial Production Feb 0.6%
–0.1% Moderate
Th
Mar 17 09:15 Capacity Utilization Feb 76.5% 76.1% Moderate
Th
Mar 17 10:00 Leading Economic Indicators (LEI) Index Feb 0.9% 0.1% Moderate
Th
Mar 17 10:00 Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index Mar 28.0 35.9 HIGH
>> Federal Reserve Watch
Forecasting Federal Reserve policy changes in coming months...Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has been adamant about his commitment to keep rates where they are until he sees greater job growth and more traction in the economic recovery. The experts are talking about a rate hike later in the year, but the chances of that now are next to nil. Literally. Note: In the lower chart, a 1% probability of change is a 99% certainty the rate will stay the same.
Current Fed Funds Rate: 0%–0.25%
After FOMC meeting on: Consensus
Mar 15 0%–0.25%
Apr 27 0%–0.25%
Jun 22 0%–0.25%
Probability of change from current policy:
After FOMC meeting on: Consensus
Mar 15 <1%
Apr 27 <1%
Jun 22 <1%
Dce
>> Market Update
QUOTE OF THE WEEK..."An economist's guess is liable to be as good as anybody else's."--Will Rogers
INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE...Last week there was no guessing involved in the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) report that applications for purchase mortgages hit their highest level of the year. The MBA credited this to the improving job market and mortgage rates remaining at super low levels. This demand for purchase mortgages was up 12.5% from the week before and at its highest level since last May. Freddie Mac's weekly survey of conforming mortgages showed mortgage rates pretty much unchanged, at historically low levels for the third week in a row.
Another UCLA Anderson Forecast came out, reporting that the economy is growing and employment should soon pick up steam. But this somewhat pessimistic group of West Coast economists feel housing will continue to lag behind other sectors. Nonetheless, they see a "modest" recovery in housing starts, up 12% this year, then hitting 1 million in 2012 and approaching 1.5 million in 2013, thanks to pent-up demand.
BUSINESS TIP OF THE WEEK...Get out of your comfort zone. Don't keep doing things a certain way just because that's how you've always done them. Be open to new ideas and technology. Things can't change for the better if you're not open to change.
>> Review of Last Week
STOCKS SLIP...All three stock market indexes registered their second weekly decline in the past three weeks. The Middle East continued to concern investors as the disturbances expanded to Saudi Arabia where no one on Wall Street wanted to see them go, fearing even higher oil prices. But Friday we were all shocked by the devastation of Japan's worst earthquake in over 100 years. Oil prices seemed far less of a worry and they actually wound up down for the week.
Economic news was light but net positive. New weekly unemployment claims were up a bit, after dropping the week before, but the four-week moving average is now 392,000, quite a bit below last summer's readings. Continuing unemployment claims dropped to 3.77 million, its lowest level since October 2008! These trends are in the right direction for the country overall and for housing in particular. Friday saw Retail Sales UP 1.0% in February, increasing now eight months in a row, their longest streak of gains in over ten years! Consumers are definitely helping out.
For the week, the Dow ended down 1.0%, at 12,044; the S&P 500 was down 1.3%, to 1,304; and the Nasdaq was down 2.5%, ending at 2,716.
Amidst slipping stocks, bond prices held up, with buying driven by the turmoil in the Middle East and strong auctions. The FNMA 4.0% bond we watch ended up .01 for the week, closing at $98.15. As noted above, Freddie Mac's weekly survey of conforming mortgages showed national average mortgage rates still at historically low levels. But buyers should not expect these rates to last forever, as the economic data continues to improve.
DID YOU KNOW?...The Federal Open Market Committee, or FOMC, is the policymaking body of the Fed. Its meeting this week is one of eight held each year to discuss the economy and monetary policy options to promote stable prices and growth.
>> This Week’s Forecast
HOMEBUILDERS, INFLATION, THE FED...This week highlights three favorite topics. Wednesday we see how homebuilders are feeling, as reflected by February Housing Starts, expected to be down a little, and Building Permits, showing builders' sentiment further out, which should be up a bit.
Tuesday we'll have the FOMC Rate Decision from the Fed. Economists don't expect the Funds Rate to move off its rock-bottom level, but they'll dissect the Policy Statement coming out of the confab for signs of when the rate may go up. Rising inflation can hike the rate, but Wednesday's wholesale inflation (PPI) and Thursday's consumer inflation (CPI) readings are expected to hold steady.
>> The Week’s Economic Indicator Calendar
Weaker than expected economic data tends to send bond prices up and interest rates down, while positive data points to lower bond prices and rising loan rates.
Economic Calendar for the Week of March 14 – March 18
Date Time (ET) Release For Consensus Prior Impact
Tu
Mar 15 08:30 NY Empire State Manufacturing Index Mar 17.0 15.43 Moderate
Tu
Mar 15 14:15 FOMC Rate Decision 3/15 0%–0.25% 0%–0.25% HIGH
W
Mar 16 08:30 Housing Starts Feb 570K 596K Moderate
W
Mar 16 08:30 Building Permits Feb 573K 562K Moderate
W
Mar 16 08:30 Producer Price Index (PPI) Feb 0.6% 0.8% Moderate
W
Mar 16 08:30 Core PPI Feb 0.2% 0.5% Moderate
W
Mar 16 10:30 Crude Inventories 3/12 NA 2.52M Moderate
Th
Mar 17 08:30 Initial Unemployment Claims 3/12 387K 397K Moderate
Th
Mar 17 08:30 Continuing Unemployment Claims 3/5 3.750M 3.771M Moderate
Th
Mar 17 08:30 Consumer Price Index (CPI) Feb 0.4% 0.4% HIGH
F
Mar 11 08:30 Core CPI Feb 0.1% 0.2% HIGH
Th
Mar 17 09:15 Industrial Production Feb 0.6%
–0.1% Moderate
Th
Mar 17 09:15 Capacity Utilization Feb 76.5% 76.1% Moderate
Th
Mar 17 10:00 Leading Economic Indicators (LEI) Index Feb 0.9% 0.1% Moderate
Th
Mar 17 10:00 Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index Mar 28.0 35.9 HIGH
>> Federal Reserve Watch
Forecasting Federal Reserve policy changes in coming months...Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke has been adamant about his commitment to keep rates where they are until he sees greater job growth and more traction in the economic recovery. The experts are talking about a rate hike later in the year, but the chances of that now are next to nil. Literally. Note: In the lower chart, a 1% probability of change is a 99% certainty the rate will stay the same.
Current Fed Funds Rate: 0%–0.25%
After FOMC meeting on: Consensus
Mar 15 0%–0.25%
Apr 27 0%–0.25%
Jun 22 0%–0.25%
Probability of change from current policy:
After FOMC meeting on: Consensus
Mar 15 <1%
Apr 27 <1%
Jun 22 <1%
Dce
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
All in Oil!
"Awash in Oil?"
Friday, I filled up at Costco's discount gas station. Gas cost $3.28 per gallon. That was up from last year by at least fifty cents a gallon, but compared to the reports of $4.00-plus gasoline in California, I felt we were fortunate here in Dallas to be closer to the national average.
When I came to work this morning, I was talking to one of my associates and she mentioned that her son had filled up at the same gas station on Saturday, less than 24 hours after me, before heading back Ft Worth. The cost was $3.47 a gallon - almost a 5% increase overnight!
What's going on? Obviously, the unrest in the Middle East is creating fear that supplies of "black gold" will be reduced. That fear is sending prices higher. Those higher prices are being generated in the futures pits around the world as speculators bid oil higher. While the spot price is about $105 per barrel, the price for future delivery in the commodities markets is over $115.
It's only logical that higher oil prices should affect stocks. But how higher oil prices affect stocks can vary tremendously. Since the Egyptian crisis began, the oil and stock price indices have been moving in opposite directions. An up day in oil prices has meant a down day for stocks. And if oil prices stumble, stocks rally.
This actually is what one would expect, isn't it? If oil goes up, and if most industrial societies run on oil, increasing costs of oil can make production more expensive, causing recovering economies to slow down, earnings to decline and stock prices to sink.
Yet, for much of the last year, oil prices and the S&P 500 have behaved very differently. They were moving in lock step - rising and falling together. In fact, this has been the case since 2008. But their mutual admiration society fell apart in mid-January.
Why the change? At the end of last year, experts were telling us that the world was awash in oil - that prices should remain stable at least through the first half of 2011. Yet here we are just two months and a few days into the New Year and oil prices have increased by about 20%.
This is the supply argument and we are hearing it daily from the stock market bulls. Oil inventories are high, so oil prices are artificially high, driven there solely by the speculators. When politics calm down in the Middle East, prices will reverse just as quickly as they went up.
I must say that I lean toward this camp as well. Oil supplies have not changed appreciably since last fall when we were awash in oil. In fact, according to the most recent figures from the Department of Energy, the stockpile of oil is 1.4% above levels from last year and inventories are 4% above their 5-year average.
And just last week, Treasury Secretary Geithner declared that the US might just have to draw on its Strategic Petroleum Reserves to cool things off. While I would hope this is not just an attempt at political jawboning by the Administration, a closer look suggests that it is and that it is a hollow threat.
According to information on the Department of Energy's website, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve holds only 727 million barrels. That's significant, but still accounts for just about two and a half months of our needs.
What's more, the impact from releasing oil from the SPR would not be immediate. The DOE says the maximum drawdown per day is just 4.4 million barrels and that it would take nearly two weeks after a decision is made to tap the SPR before that oil actually hits the US market.
Of course, our friends, the Saudi's and our partners at OPEC have also tried to assure us, saying they would increase production if prices stay high. But in the past these assurances have been empty ones. And today, the head of OPEC weakened the assurances by stating that reserves would have to shrink before cartel members would actually take any action.
In the meantime, whether the bulls or the bears are correct, the stock market seems likely to be held hostage by our Middle East suppliers. With Gulf oil drilling rigs down over 75% from a year ago due to the Administration's restrictive position on Gulf of Mexico drilling (although, I note they did just award the first post-spill drilling permit today - perhaps they're feeling the heat and are going to make a policy announcement that could have a tangible effect), a further increase in US oil supplies seems unlikely to help in the intermediate term.
As the earnings season has ended and interest rates are moving up along with the price of oil, these usual bull market girders are not supportive in the short run. The most positive factor for the stock markets today is the constant drumbeat of good news about the economy. Last week we had 24 reports and 15 of them beat expectations. The employment and manufacturing numbers were especially heartening.
I continue to believe that we are in for a stock market correction, that it will be shallow, and that the stocks will bounce back to set new highs later this year.
Friday, I filled up at Costco's discount gas station. Gas cost $3.28 per gallon. That was up from last year by at least fifty cents a gallon, but compared to the reports of $4.00-plus gasoline in California, I felt we were fortunate here in Dallas to be closer to the national average.
When I came to work this morning, I was talking to one of my associates and she mentioned that her son had filled up at the same gas station on Saturday, less than 24 hours after me, before heading back Ft Worth. The cost was $3.47 a gallon - almost a 5% increase overnight!
What's going on? Obviously, the unrest in the Middle East is creating fear that supplies of "black gold" will be reduced. That fear is sending prices higher. Those higher prices are being generated in the futures pits around the world as speculators bid oil higher. While the spot price is about $105 per barrel, the price for future delivery in the commodities markets is over $115.
It's only logical that higher oil prices should affect stocks. But how higher oil prices affect stocks can vary tremendously. Since the Egyptian crisis began, the oil and stock price indices have been moving in opposite directions. An up day in oil prices has meant a down day for stocks. And if oil prices stumble, stocks rally.
This actually is what one would expect, isn't it? If oil goes up, and if most industrial societies run on oil, increasing costs of oil can make production more expensive, causing recovering economies to slow down, earnings to decline and stock prices to sink.
Yet, for much of the last year, oil prices and the S&P 500 have behaved very differently. They were moving in lock step - rising and falling together. In fact, this has been the case since 2008. But their mutual admiration society fell apart in mid-January.
Why the change? At the end of last year, experts were telling us that the world was awash in oil - that prices should remain stable at least through the first half of 2011. Yet here we are just two months and a few days into the New Year and oil prices have increased by about 20%.
This is the supply argument and we are hearing it daily from the stock market bulls. Oil inventories are high, so oil prices are artificially high, driven there solely by the speculators. When politics calm down in the Middle East, prices will reverse just as quickly as they went up.
I must say that I lean toward this camp as well. Oil supplies have not changed appreciably since last fall when we were awash in oil. In fact, according to the most recent figures from the Department of Energy, the stockpile of oil is 1.4% above levels from last year and inventories are 4% above their 5-year average.
And just last week, Treasury Secretary Geithner declared that the US might just have to draw on its Strategic Petroleum Reserves to cool things off. While I would hope this is not just an attempt at political jawboning by the Administration, a closer look suggests that it is and that it is a hollow threat.
According to information on the Department of Energy's website, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve holds only 727 million barrels. That's significant, but still accounts for just about two and a half months of our needs.
What's more, the impact from releasing oil from the SPR would not be immediate. The DOE says the maximum drawdown per day is just 4.4 million barrels and that it would take nearly two weeks after a decision is made to tap the SPR before that oil actually hits the US market.
Of course, our friends, the Saudi's and our partners at OPEC have also tried to assure us, saying they would increase production if prices stay high. But in the past these assurances have been empty ones. And today, the head of OPEC weakened the assurances by stating that reserves would have to shrink before cartel members would actually take any action.
In the meantime, whether the bulls or the bears are correct, the stock market seems likely to be held hostage by our Middle East suppliers. With Gulf oil drilling rigs down over 75% from a year ago due to the Administration's restrictive position on Gulf of Mexico drilling (although, I note they did just award the first post-spill drilling permit today - perhaps they're feeling the heat and are going to make a policy announcement that could have a tangible effect), a further increase in US oil supplies seems unlikely to help in the intermediate term.
As the earnings season has ended and interest rates are moving up along with the price of oil, these usual bull market girders are not supportive in the short run. The most positive factor for the stock markets today is the constant drumbeat of good news about the economy. Last week we had 24 reports and 15 of them beat expectations. The employment and manufacturing numbers were especially heartening.
I continue to believe that we are in for a stock market correction, that it will be shallow, and that the stocks will bounce back to set new highs later this year.
Monday, March 7, 2011
The Weekly Java!
QUOTE OF THE WEEK..."There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect."--Ronald Regan
INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE...We should be especially careful to not erect barriers to our progress just because of a minor setback, like the one we had with last week's Pending Home Sales. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) index of signed contracts on existing homes slipped in January for the second month in a row. But the drop wasn't as bad as expected and, as the NAR's chief economist said: "We should not expect the recovery to be in a straight upward path--it will zig-zag at times."
The latest NAR overall forecast gave an interesting picture of that recovery. Existing home sales should grow 8.1% this year and another 5.2% in 2012, with the median price essentially flat in 2011 before gaining over 3% next year. New home sales are forecast up about 5% this year, then up over 55% for 2012, with the median price up a bit in 2011, then up 3.5% next year. Fannie Mae's latest National Housing Survey reported that the vast majority of people believe housing prices will hold firm in 2011 and that Hispanics, African-Americans and Generation Y (18–34 years old) are more positive than other Americans about homeownership.
BUSINESS TIP OF THE WEEK...Do you know what's the most precious commodity in business? Time! Return calls and e-mails immediately, deliver what clients want sooner than they expect and you'll enhance your competitive edge.
>> Review of Last Week
SQUEAKING HIGHER...Investors who were worried about oil prices hitting two-year highs amidst Libyan turmoil sent stocks down Tuesday. But economic data continued to portray a steady if slow recovery. So stocks shot back up Thursday by enough to put all three indexes ahead for the week, even after dipping a bit on Friday.
Encouraging economic news appeared on all fronts. The ISM Services index, tracking the sector that employs over 85% of our workforce, reached its highest level since 2005. ISM Manufacturing also hit a multi-year high. Meanwhile, inflation measured by Core PCE Prices, was up just 0.1% in January and 0.8% the past year, well within the Fed's acceptable range. Then Friday we had the February Employment Report with 192,000 new jobs overall. The private sector contributed 222,000 jobs, its 12th monthly gain in a row. And the unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped again, this time to 8.9%!
For the week, the Dow ended up 0.3%, at 12,170; the S&P 500 was up 0.1%, to 1,321; and the Nasdaq was up 0.1%, ending at 2,785.
Bond prices were hurt by the improving economic data, but went back up as a result of the safe-haven buying driven by continuing tensions in the Middle East and rising oil prices. The FNMA 4.0% bond we watch ended down slightly for the week, closing at $98.14. Mortgage rates dropped for the third week in a row according to Freddie Mac's weekly survey of conforming mortgages. But buyers should note that these low rates will not last forever, as the improving employment picture will eventually edge them back up.
DID YOU KNOW?...The median home price is the midpoint price for all homes sold. 50% of selling prices were above it, 50% were below. It is less biased than the average home price, which can be skewed upward by a few high-priced homes.
>> This Week’s Forecast
WHAT'S UP WITH THE CONSUMER?...Frankly, it's a pretty quiet week for economic news, but there are a few significant readings on the state of the consumer at the very end. Friday we see February's Retail Sales reports, which are expected to show continued growth, both with and without auto sales included. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index should show consumer confidence holding pretty steady. Thursday, you'll want to take note of Initial and Continuing Jobless Claims, as jobs remain key to the economic and housing market recovery.
Alan R. Felch
214-683-1770
homeloanapproval.com
INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE...We should be especially careful to not erect barriers to our progress just because of a minor setback, like the one we had with last week's Pending Home Sales. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) index of signed contracts on existing homes slipped in January for the second month in a row. But the drop wasn't as bad as expected and, as the NAR's chief economist said: "We should not expect the recovery to be in a straight upward path--it will zig-zag at times."
The latest NAR overall forecast gave an interesting picture of that recovery. Existing home sales should grow 8.1% this year and another 5.2% in 2012, with the median price essentially flat in 2011 before gaining over 3% next year. New home sales are forecast up about 5% this year, then up over 55% for 2012, with the median price up a bit in 2011, then up 3.5% next year. Fannie Mae's latest National Housing Survey reported that the vast majority of people believe housing prices will hold firm in 2011 and that Hispanics, African-Americans and Generation Y (18–34 years old) are more positive than other Americans about homeownership.
BUSINESS TIP OF THE WEEK...Do you know what's the most precious commodity in business? Time! Return calls and e-mails immediately, deliver what clients want sooner than they expect and you'll enhance your competitive edge.
>> Review of Last Week
SQUEAKING HIGHER...Investors who were worried about oil prices hitting two-year highs amidst Libyan turmoil sent stocks down Tuesday. But economic data continued to portray a steady if slow recovery. So stocks shot back up Thursday by enough to put all three indexes ahead for the week, even after dipping a bit on Friday.
Encouraging economic news appeared on all fronts. The ISM Services index, tracking the sector that employs over 85% of our workforce, reached its highest level since 2005. ISM Manufacturing also hit a multi-year high. Meanwhile, inflation measured by Core PCE Prices, was up just 0.1% in January and 0.8% the past year, well within the Fed's acceptable range. Then Friday we had the February Employment Report with 192,000 new jobs overall. The private sector contributed 222,000 jobs, its 12th monthly gain in a row. And the unemployment rate unexpectedly dropped again, this time to 8.9%!
For the week, the Dow ended up 0.3%, at 12,170; the S&P 500 was up 0.1%, to 1,321; and the Nasdaq was up 0.1%, ending at 2,785.
Bond prices were hurt by the improving economic data, but went back up as a result of the safe-haven buying driven by continuing tensions in the Middle East and rising oil prices. The FNMA 4.0% bond we watch ended down slightly for the week, closing at $98.14. Mortgage rates dropped for the third week in a row according to Freddie Mac's weekly survey of conforming mortgages. But buyers should note that these low rates will not last forever, as the improving employment picture will eventually edge them back up.
DID YOU KNOW?...The median home price is the midpoint price for all homes sold. 50% of selling prices were above it, 50% were below. It is less biased than the average home price, which can be skewed upward by a few high-priced homes.
>> This Week’s Forecast
WHAT'S UP WITH THE CONSUMER?...Frankly, it's a pretty quiet week for economic news, but there are a few significant readings on the state of the consumer at the very end. Friday we see February's Retail Sales reports, which are expected to show continued growth, both with and without auto sales included. The University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index should show consumer confidence holding pretty steady. Thursday, you'll want to take note of Initial and Continuing Jobless Claims, as jobs remain key to the economic and housing market recovery.
Alan R. Felch
214-683-1770
homeloanapproval.com
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