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 ›

With the release of the final estimates of second quarter 2016 GDP growth (revised up three-tenths to a 1.4% growth rate), housing’s share of gross domestic product (GDP) held steady at 15.7%. The home building and remodeling component—residential fixed investment—as a share of GDP declined slightly to 3.5%. Housing-related activities contribute to GDP in two basic ways. The first is… Read More ›

The Pending Home Sales Index decreased 2.4% in August, declining for the third time in four months, and falling 0.2% below its level for the same month a year ago. The Pending Home Sales Index (PHSI), a forward-looking indicator based on signed contracts reported by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), decreased to 108.5 in August from a downwardly revised… Read More ›