U.S. Existing Home Sales Plunge More Than Expected In March

RTTNews | 522 hari yang lalu
U.S. Existing Home Sales Plunge More Than Expected In March

(RTTNews) - Reflecting affordability challenges associated with high mortgage rates, the National Association of Realtors released a report on Thursday showing a steep drop by U.S. existing home sales in the month of March.

NAR said existing home sales plunged by 5.9 percent to an annual rate of 4.02 million in March after surging by 4.4 percent to a revised rate of 4.27 million in February.

Economists had expected existing home sales to tumble by 3.1 percent to an annual rate of 4.13 million from the 4.26 million originally reported for the previous month.

"Home buying and selling remained sluggish in March due to the affordability challenges associated with high mortgage rates," said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun.

He added, "Residential housing mobility, currently at historical lows, signals the troublesome possibility of less economic mobility for society."

The report also said housing inventory at the end of March totaled 1.33 million units, up 8.1 percent from 1.23 million units in February and up 19.8 percent from 1.11 million units a year ago.

The unsold inventory represents 4.0 months of supply at the current sales pace, up from 3.5 months in February and 3.2 months in March 2024.

NAR also said the median existing home price for all housing types was $403,700 in March, up 2.7 percent from $392,900 in the same month last year.

"In a stark contrast to the stock and bond markets, household wealth in residential real estate continues to reach new heights," Yun said. "With mortgage delinquencies at near-historical lows, the housing market is on solid footing."

He added, "A small deceleration in home price gains, which was slightly below wage-growth increases in March, would be a welcome improvement for affordability."

A separate report released by the Commerce Department on Wednesday showed new home sales in the U.S. surged by much more than expected in the month of March.

The Commerce Department said new home sales spiked by 7.4 percent to an annual rate of 724,000 in March after jumping by 3.1 percent to a revised rate of 674,000 in February.

Economists had expected new home sales to climb by 0.9 percent to a rate of 682,000 from the 676,000 originally reported for the previous month.

baca selengkapnya
U.S. Consumer Sentiment Drops Less Than Previously Estimated In September

U.S. Consumer Sentiment Drops Less Than Previously Estimated In September

Revised data released by the University of Michigan on Friday showed consumer sentiment in the U.S. deteriorated by less than previously estimated in the month of September. The University of Michigan said its consumer sentiment index for September was upwardly revised to 48.1 from a preliminary reading of 47.8.
RTTNews | 3 hari yang lalu
U.S. New Home Sales Rebound More Than Expected To Eight-Month High In August

U.S. New Home Sales Rebound More Than Expected To Eight-Month High In August

The Commerce Department released a report on Thursday showing a significant rebound in new home sales in the U.S. in the month of August. The report said new home sales surged by 6.4 percent to an annual rate of 684,000 in August after plunging by 4.3 percent to an upwardly revised rate of 643,000 in July.
RTTNews | 4 hari yang lalu
U.S. Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Edge Down To Two-Month Low

U.S. Jobless Claims Unexpectedly Edge Down To Two-Month Low

First-time claims for U.S. unemployment benefits unexpectedly edged slightly lower in the week ended September 19th, according to a report released by the Labor Department on Thursday. The report said initial jobless claims slipped to 197,000, a decrease of 1,000 from the previous week's revised level of 198,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to rise to 204,000.
RTTNews | 4 hari yang lalu
U.S. Leading Economic Index Unexpectedly Edges Lower In August

U.S. Leading Economic Index Unexpectedly Edges Lower In August

A report released the Conference Board on Friday unexpectedly showed a modest decrease by its reading on leading U.S. economic indicators in the month of August. The Conference Board said its leading economic index edged down by 0.1 percent in August after rising by 0.2 percent in July. Economists had expected the index to inch up by 0.1 percent.
RTTNews | 10 hari yang lalu
U.S. Industrial Production Unexpectedly Flat In August

U.S. Industrial Production Unexpectedly Flat In August

With a jump in utilities output offset by a decrease in manufacturing output, the Federal Reserve released a report on Friday showing U.S. industrial production unexpectedly came in flat in the month of August. The Fed said industrial production was unchanged in August after rising by an unrevised 0.2 percent in July. Economists had expected industrial production to climb by 0.3 percent.
RTTNews | 10 hari yang lalu
U.S. Pending Home Sales Rebound From Six-Month Low In August

U.S. Pending Home Sales Rebound From Six-Month Low In August

A report released by the National Association of Realtors on Thursday showed a modest rebound in pending home sales in the month of August. NAR said pending home sales index rose by 0.3 percent to 71.2 in August after tumbling by 2.6 percent to a revised 71.0 in July. Economists had expected pending home sales to climb by 0.5 percent.
RTTNews | 11 hari yang lalu