New Home Sales for April 2009

The April 2009 New Home Sales report was released this morning:

Predicted: 360,000

Actual New Home Sales: 352,000

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Change from One Month Previous: +0.3%

Change from One Year Previous: -34.0%

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Median Price for a New Home during April: $209,700

Average Price for a New Home during April: $254,000

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 for a given 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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New Unemployment Insurance Claims for The Week of May 23, 2009

Earlier today, the Labor Department released the New Unemployment Insurance Claims report for the week that ended on May 23, 2009:

Predicted: 635,000
Actual: 623,000

The above figures represent the number of first-time claims for unemployment benefits for the entire United States. 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 Labor Department report.

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Existing Home Sales for April 2009

The Existing Home Sales report for April 2009 was released by The National Association of Realtors® this morning:

Predicted: 4,670,000
Actual: 4,680,000
Change from One Month Previous: +2.9%
Change from One Year Previous: -3.5%

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.

Median Price for A Preowned, Single-Family
Home In April 2009: $170,200
Change from One Year Previous: -15.4%

Average Price for A Preowned, Single-Family
Home In April 2009: $213,100
Change from One Year Previous: -13.8%

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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New Unemployment Insurance Claims for The Week of May 16, 2009

Earlier today, the Labor Department released the New Unemployment Insurance Claims report for the week that ended on May 16, 2009:

Predicted: 645,000
Actual: 631,000

The above figures represent the number of first-time claims for unemployment benefits for the entire United States. 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 Labor Department report.

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Leading Economic Indicators for April 2009

The Conference Board report on the nation's Leading Economic Indicators for April 2009 was released this morning:

Predicted: +1.0%

Actual: +1.0%

The above numbers represent the month-to-month change for the nation's leading economic indicators. The "predicted" figure is what economists and Wall Street forecasters were expecting, while the "actual" is the true or real figure.

The Leading Economic Indicators Index is a composite of 10 of the nation's economic data releases that's put together by The Conference Board. Statistically, the components listed below have shown a significant increase or decrease before national economic upturns or downturns, respectively:

1. The Money Supply (M2)
   
2. The Standard and Poor's 500 Index
   
3. The interest rate spread between the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury Note and Fed Funds
   
   
4. Manufacturer's new orders for consumer goods or materials
   
5. Manufacturer's new orders for non-defense capital goods
   
6. Average weekly claims for unemployment insurance
   
7. Average weekly manufacturing hours
   
8. The Index of Consumer Expectations
   
9. Vendor performance
   
10. Building permits for new private housing

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Housing Starts During April 2009

The U.S. Commerce Department this morning released the Housing Starts report for April 2009:

Housing Starts:
Predicted: 540,000
Actual: 458,000
Change From Previous Month: -12.8%
Change From One Year Previous: -54.2%

Building Permits:
Actual: 494,000
Change From Previous Month:: -3.3%
Change From One Year Previous: -50.2%


The above is a measure of initial construction of single and multi-family residential units in The United States for last 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. The monthly Housing Starts 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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All 3 Majors Sank Lower On The Week

All 3 major indexes sank lower on the week.

For the week, the DJIA lost 306.01 points (-3.569%), the NASDAQ Composite Index fell by 58.86 points (-3.385%), and the S and P 500 Index gave up 46.35 points (-4.988%).

Summary of The U.S. Markets for Today:

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DJIA: Closed @ 8,268.64 (-62.68)

NASDAQ: Closed @ 1,680.14 (-9.07)

S and P 500: Closed @ 882.88 (-10.19)

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- NYMEX Crude Oil for Future Delivery closed @ $56.34/barrel

- NY Spot Gold closed @ $930.90/ounce

- In New York, The U.S. Dollar buys 0.741 Euros

- In New York, The Euro buys 1.3495 U.S. Dollars

- The United States Prime Rate is 3.25%

- The Target Range for the Fed Funds Rate is 0% - 0.25%

- Ten-Year Treasury Note Yield is currently @ 3.123%

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Consumer Price Index (CPI) for April 2009

Earlier this morning, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics released the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for April 2009:

Predicted: 0.0%
Actual: 0.0%

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

Predicted: +0.1%
Actual: +0.3%

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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New Unemployment Insurance Claims for The Week of May 9, 2009

Earlier today, the Labor Department released the New Unemployment Insurance Claims report for the week that ended on May 9, 2009:

Predicted: 609,000
Actual: 637,000

The above figures represent the number of first-time claims for unemployment benefits for the entire United States. 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 Labor Department report.

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Producer Price Index (PPI) for April 2009

The Producer Price Index (PPI) for April 2009 was released this morning:

Predicted: +0.1%
Actual: +0.3%

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

Predicted: +0.1%
Actual: +0.1%

The above numbers represent the month-to-month change in prices for a specific group of goods and capital equipment that producers buy in order to produce finished goods for consumers. The PPI is an important part of the overall inflation picture for the country because when costs go up for producers, producers will often pass those increased costs on to consumers.

The PPI is released by the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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

The PPI is a family or amalgamation of indexes, including The:

• All Commodities Index
• Crude Energy Materials Index
• Crude Foodstuffs & Feedstuffs Index
• Crude Materials for Further Processing Index
• Finished Goods Index
  
• Finished Consumer Foods Index
• Finished Consumer Goods Index
• Finished Consumer Goods Excluding Foods Index
• Finished Energy Goods Index
• Finished Goods: Capital Equipment Index
• Finished Goods Excluding Foods Index
• Finished Goods Less Energy Index
• Finished Goods Less Food & Energy Index
• Fuels & Related Products & Power Index
• Industrial Commodities Index
• Intermediate Energy Goods Index
• Intermediate Foods & Feeds Index
  
• Intermediate Materials: Supplies & Components Index
  

Click here to view the full Labor Department report.

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U.S. Retail & Food Services Sales Report for April 2009

The Commerce Department this morning released advanced estimates of U.S. Retail and Food Services Sales for April 2009:

Predicted: +0.1%
Actual: -0.4%

Minus Auto and Auto Parts Sales
Predicted: +0.3%
Actual : -0.5%


The above percentages represent the month-to-month change in total sales receipts for retailers that sell durable & non-durable goods, and retailers that provide food & beverage services.

• Change from 12 months previous: -10.1%
  

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 report.

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The S&P 500 Gained Just Under Six Percent on The Week

Each of the 3 major indexes advanced on the week despite news that the national unemployment rate jumped to 8.9% last month. Yesterday, the Federal Reserve released the results of the Supervisory Capital Assessment Program (SCAP).

For the week, the DJIA added 362.24 points (+4.411%), the NASDAQ Composite Index rose by 19.80 points (+1.152%), and the S and P 500 Index gained 51.71 points (+5.893%).

Summary of The U.S. Markets for Today:

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DJIA: Closed @ 8,574.65 (+164.80)

NASDAQ: Closed @ 1,739.00 (+22.76)

S and P 500: Closed @ 929.23 (+21.84)

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NYMEX Crude Oil for Future Delivery closed @ $58.63/barrel

NY Spot Gold closed @ $916.20/ounce

In New York, The U.S. Dollar buys 0.7335 Euros

In New York, The Euro buys 1.3634 U.S. Dollars

The Target Range for the Fed Funds Rate is 0% - 0.25%

Ten-Year Treasury Note Yield is currently @ 3.293%

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Employment Situation Report for April 2009

The Employment Situation report for April 2009 was released by The Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics this morning:

Average Hourly Earnings (month-to-month change)
Predicted: +0.2%
Actual: +0.1%


Non-farm Payrolls (month-to-month change)
Predicted: -630K
Actual: -539K


Average Workweek
Predicted: 33.2 hrs
Actual: 33.2 hrs


Unemployment Rate
Predicted: 8.9%
Actual: 8.9%

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 Unemployment Insurance Claims for The Week of May 2, 2009

Earlier today, the Labor Department released the New Unemployment Insurance Claims report for the week that ended on May 2, 2009:

Predicted: 635,000
Actual: 601,000

The above figures represent the number of first-time claims for unemployment benefits for the entire United States. 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 Labor Department report.

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All Three Majors Gained More Than 1% On The Week

Each of the 3 major indexes advanced by more than one percent on the week. On Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) of the Federal Reserve, with a unanimous vote, opted to keep short-term rates at current levels.

For the week, the DJIA added 136.12 points (+1.685%), the NASDAQ Composite Index rose by 24.91 points (+1.47%), and the S and P 500 Index gained 11.29 points (+1.303%).

Summary of The U.S. Markets for Today:

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DJIA: Closed @ 8,212.41 (+44.29)

NASDAQ: Closed @ 1,719.20 (+1.90)

S and P 500: Closed @ 877.52 (+4.71)

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NYMEX Crude Oil for Future Delivery closed @ $53.20/barrel

NY Spot Gold closed @ $885.80/ounce

In New York, The U.S. Dollar buys 0.7535 Euros

In New York, The Euro buys 1.3272 U.S. Dollars

The Target Range for the Fed Funds Rate is 0% - 0.25%

Ten-Year Treasury Note Yield is currently @ 3.174%

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ISM Manufacturing Index for April 2009

Earlier today, the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) released their Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) for April 2009:

Predicted: 38.3%
Actual: 40.1%

Every month, the ISM surveys purchasing and supply executives at hundreds of companies across the country that are involved in manufacturing in some form. The resulting index is watched closely by academics, economists and investors because manufacturing accounts for 12% of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

The PMI is a reliable barometer of U.S. manufacturing: A PMI above 50% implies that U.S. manufacturing expanded during the month in question; when it's below 50%, it implies that the manufacturing sector contracted.

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

During the prior month, the PMI was 36.3%.

Click here to view the complete ISM report.

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