MBA Mortgage Applications (Week ended 10/25/2013) – Purchase Index Week/Week +2.0%. Previous weeks were +1.0%, -5.0%, -1.0%, -6.0%, +7.0%, +3.0%, -3.0%, -0.4%, +2.0%, +1.0%, -5.0%, and +1.0%. – Refinance Index Week/Week +9.0%. Previous weeks were -1.0%, +3.0%, +3.0%, +3.0%, +5.0%, +18%, -20%, +2.0%, -5.0%, -8.0%, and -4.0%. – Composite Index Week/Week +6.4%.  Previous weeks were […]

ICSC-Goldman Store Sales  (week ended 10/26/13) – Store Sales week/week -0.4%.  Previous was +1.4% – Store Sales month/month +2.2%. Previous was +3.4% Redbook Store Sales  (week ended 10/26/13) – Store Sales month/month +3.6%.  Previous was +2.9%. Retail Sales (September 2013) – Retail Sales month/month -0.1%. Previous was +0.2% – Retail Sales less autos  month/month  +0.4%. […]

Industrial Production (September 2013) – Production Month/Month +0.6% – Capacity Utilization Rate 78.3%. Previous was 77.9% – Manufacturing Month/Month +0.1%. Previous revised from +0.7% to +0.5%. Some of the gain in Industrial Production was due to cold weather which increased utility output by 4.4%. Pending Home Sales Index  (September 2013) – Pending Home Sales Index […]

Inside the BLS Employment Situation Report This is my monthly look inside the BLS Employment Situation Report. There are two BLS Surveys: the Establishment and the Household. Establishment surveys about 141,000 businesses and government agencies, representing approximately 486,000 individual worksites. It is taken each month during the week which includes the 12th of the month. […]

Durable Goods Orders (September 2013) – New Orders Overall (Month/Month) +3.7% Previous was +0.2% – New Orders Overall (Year/Year)  7.4%. Previous was +13.8% – Ex-transportation (Month/Month) -0.1%. Previous was -0.4% – Ex-transportation (Year/Year)  +5.6%. Previous was +7.3%. While the overall number is positive because of aircraft orders, those orders are volatile and the ex-trans number […]

Jobless Claims  (week ended 10/19/2013) – New Claims 350,000. Previous was revised to 362,000 – 4-week Moving Average  348,250. Hopefully the inaccuracies in reporting California jobless claims in a timely manner have been resolved. Trade Deficit (August 2013) – $38.8 billion.  Previous was $38.6 billion. PMI Manufacturing Index Flash  (October 2013) – Index level 51.1. […]

This is a Forbes piece on the increases in Flood Insurance rates pursuant to the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act passed last year.  My personal view is that it in insane to have the taxpayer subsidize the cost of flood insurance for people who choose to build or buy homes is places likely to flood. […]

MBA Mortgage Applications (Week ended 10/18/2013) – Purchase Index Week/Week +1.0%. Previous weeks were -5.0%, -1.0%, -6.0%, +7.0%, +3.0%, -3.0%, -0.4%, +2.0%, +1.0%, -5.0%, +1.0%, and -3.0%. – Refinance Index Week/Week -1.0%. Previous weeks were +3.0%, +3.0%, +3.0%, +5.0%, +18%, -20%, +2.0%, -5.0%, -8.0%, -4.0%, and +0.0%. – Composite Index Week/Week -0.6%.  Previous weeks were […]

BLS Employment Situation Report (September 2013) – Non-farm Jobs +149,000.  August was revised up 45,000 and July was revised down 15,000 for a net gain of +179,000. – Labor Participation Ratio held at 63.2%. My Friday newsletter will have the usual detailed analysis of this report. ICSC-Goldman Store Sales  (week ended October 19, 2013) – […]

Existing Home Sales (September 2013) Existing Home Sales (Seasonally Adjusted Annualized)   5,290,000. Previous revised to 5,390,000 – Month/Month  -1.9% – Year/Year +10.7% The housing market is, as always, local but the big picture is that it is slowing. To some extent the drop in Existing Home Sales is due to the fact that bargain prices […]