Interest rates on conventional mortgages for newly built homes fell again in August 2016 according to data released by the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFHA), extending the decline to 7 consecutive months. The FHFA data show that the average contract rate on the loans fell from 3.64% to 3.60%, while initial fees and charges went from 1.11% to 1.09%. As… Read More ›

Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) was effectively unchanged in August, standing at $11.5 billion, according to the most recent data release from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Meanwhile, personal income rose by 0.2%, almost half of the gain in July.  The gain in personal income was the weakest since a drop in February, as wages, the largest component, only increased 0.1% after… Read More ›

The Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) released the third estimate of real GDP growth for the second quarter of 2016. Real GDP grew at a 1.4% seasonally adjusted annual rate, up modestly from the 1.1% previous estimate. Personal consumption expenditures were slightly weaker, investment was less negative based on less drag from the energy sector and equipment spending, government spending… Read More ›