New Home Sales for April 2013

The April 2013 New Home Sales report was released this morning:

Predicted: 425,000

Actual New Home Sales: 454,000

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Change from One Month Previous: +2.3%
Change from One Year Previous: +29.0%

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Median Price for a New Home during April: $271,600
Average Price for a New Home during April: $330,800

Click here for historical prices and a chart.

Compiled jointly by the U.S. Commerce Department and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the monthly New Home Sales report measures the number of newly-built homes with committed buyers during the indicated month.

The "predicted" figure is what economists and Wall Street forecasters were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

The New Home Sales report is watched by economists and investors because it offers insight into the state of the U.S. housing market, and also provides data that can be used to predict sales of large household furniture and appliances like refrigerators, air conditioners and microwave ovens.

Click here to view the full Commerce Department report (PDF).

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Existing Home Sales for April 2013

The Existing Home Sales report for April 2013 was released by The National Association of Realtors® this morning:

Predicted: 5,000,000
Actual: 4,970,000

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Change from One Month Previous: +0.6%
Change from One Year Previous: +9.7%

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The "actual" figure above represents the preliminary, seasonally adjusted annual sales count of existing homes, co-ops and condominiums for last month. The "predicted" figure is what economists and Wall Street forecasters were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.


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Median Price for A used home In April 2013: $192,800
Change from One Year Previous: +11.0%

Average Price for A used home In April 2013: $242,600
Change from One Year Previous: +9.4%

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Click here for historical prices and a chart.

The monthly Existing Home Sales report is released on or around the 25^TH day of each month.

Click here to view the full NAR report.

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Employment Situation Report for April 2013

The Employment Situation report for April 2013 was released by The Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics this morning:

Unemployment Rate
Predicted: 7.6%
Actual: 7.5%

Non-farm Payrolls (month-to-month change)
Predicted: +153K
Actual: +165K

Average Hourly Earnings (month-to-month change)
Predicted: +0.2%
Actual: +0.2%

Average Workweek
Predicted: 34.6 hrs
Actual: 34.4 hrs

Economist, academics, central bankers and investors pay very close attention to the monthly Employment Situation report as it offers penetrating insight as to the current and near-future state of the overall U.S. economy. If a) Americans are earning more money, b) unemployment is low and c) the economy is creating new jobs, this typically translates to more money being pumped into the economy (and vice versa.)

The "predicted" figure is what economists and Wall Street forecasters were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

Click here to view the full Department of Labor report.

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New Home Sales for March 2013

The March 2013 New Home Sales report was released this morning:

Predicted: 419,000

Actual New Home Sales: 417,000

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Change from One Month Previous: +1.5%
Change from One Year Previous: +18.5%

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Median Price for a New Home during March: $247,000
Average Price for a New Home during March: $279,900

Click here for historical prices and a chart.

Compiled jointly by the U.S. Commerce Department and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the monthly New Home Sales report measures the number of newly-built homes with committed buyers during the indicated month.

The "predicted" figure is what economists and Wall Street forecasters were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

The New Home Sales report is watched by economists and investors because it offers insight into the state of the U.S. housing market, and also provides data that can be used to predict sales of large household furniture and appliances like refrigerators, air conditioners and microwave ovens.

Click here to view the full Commerce Department report (PDF).

>  SITEMAP  <

Existing Home Sales for March 2013

The Existing Home Sales report for March 2013 was released by The National Association of Realtors® this morning:

Predicted: 5,030,000
Actual: 4,920,000

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Change from One Month Previous: -0.6%
Change from One Year Previous: +10.3%

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The "actual" figure above represents the preliminary, seasonally adjusted annual sales count of existing homes, co-ops and condominiums for last month. The "predicted" figure is what economists and Wall Street forecasters were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.


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Median Price for A used home In March 2013: $184,300
Change from One Year Previous: +11.8%

Average Price for A used home In March 2013: $233,200
Change from One Year Previous: +9.9%

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Click here for historical prices and a chart.

The monthly Existing Home Sales report is released on or around the 25^TH day of each month.

Click here to view the full NAR report.

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Consumer Price Index (CPI) for March 2013

Earlier this morning, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for March 2013:

Predicted: +0.0%
Actual: -0.2%

Below is the CPI when food and energy are subtracted from the equation, also known as the "core CPI":

Predicted: +0.2%
Actual: +0.1%

The above numbers represent the seasonally adjusted, month-to-month change in prices for a specific group of goods and services that consumers buy, and is, therefore, a very important part of the overall inflation picture for the country.

The "predicted" figure is what economists and Wall Street forecasters were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

General categories that constitute the CPI are:

• Healthcare
• Housing
• Clothing
• Communications
• Education
• Transportation
• Food & Beverages
• Recreation
• Miscellaneous Goods & Services (grooming expenses, etc.)

Click here to view the full Labor Department report.

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Housing Starts During March 2013

The U.S. Commerce Department this morning released the Housing Starts report for March 2013:

Housing Starts:
Predicted: 930,000
Actual: 1,036,000

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Change From Previous Month: +7.0%
Change From One Year Previous: +46.7%

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Building Permits:
Predicted: 942,000
Actual: 902,000

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Change From Previous Month: -3.9%
Change From One Year Previous: +17.3%

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The above is a measure of initial construction of single and multi-family residential units in the United States for the indicated month. The "predicted" figure is what economists and Wall Street forecasters were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

If you're wondering about the demand for new homes in the United States, or about the American construction industry in general, then you should pay attention to the monthly Housing Starts report. This report also offers insight into specific types of consumer spending: when housing starts are up, demand for the stuff that a consumer would purchase for a new home (large appliances, consumer electronics, furniture, etc.) tends to also rise--and vice versa.

Click here to view the full Commerce Department report (PDF).

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