Blog – Page 721 of 777

23 Dec 2013

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – December 23, 2013

Mortgage Rates

According to December's NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index, home builder confidence rose by four points to a reading of 58; this surpassed the consensus of 56 and November's reading of 56. November Housing Starts were released Wednesday and also exceeded expectations and the prior month's reading. 1.09 million housing starts were reported for November against expectations of 963,000 and October's reading of 889,000 housing starts. Building permits issued in November came in at 1.01 million and fell short of October's reading of 1.04 million permits issued. November's reading exceeded expectations of 990,000 permits issued. The week's big news emerged after…

20 Dec 2013

By Mark Feder

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4 Safety Tips For Your Christmas Tree

Around The Home

It's Christmas time, it's Christmas time – which means it's time to get a tree for your home. Whether you get a real tree or an artificial one, it's also time to think about Christmas tree safety. Prevent A Fire Hazard There's a potential fire hazard that comes with real trees, a danger that's lessened with artificial trees, but artificial trees have their own safety issues. For instance, those that spin on their bases shouldn't be left to rotate on their own. Make sure the motor is turned off whenever you leave the room. Even though safety precautions are more…

19 Dec 2013

By Mark Feder

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Fed Minutes Predicts Tapering Of Quantitative Easing Program

Federal Reserve

Housing Starts exceeded expectations and also beat October's reading of 889,000. November housing starts were posted at 1.09 million against a consensus of 963,000. This reading is more in line with the NAHB/Wells Fargo Home builder Market Index, which reached a four month high with December's reading. With that threat resolved and a new federal budget passed, builders can now proceed without worrying about setbacks caused by government shutdowns and legislative gridlock. Building permits issued in November were slightly lower at 1.01 million than October's reading of 1.04 million. Viewed as an indicator of future construction, and ultimately, available homes,…

18 Dec 2013

By Mark Feder

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Housing Market Index Shows Builder Confidence Up 23 Percent Year-Over-Year

Housing Analysis

According to the National Association of Homebuilders/Wells Fargo Homebuilders Market Index for December, builder confidence recovered in with a reading of 58. This surpassed both expectations of 56 and last month's reading of 54. Analysts noted that builder confidence has steadied after the government shutdown. December's reading was the highest in four months. Dave Crowe, NAHB chief economist, said that his organization was expecting a "gradual improvement in the housing recovery" in 2014. Any reading above 50 indicates that more builders are confident about overall housing market conditions than not. Builder Confidence - Highest Reading Since 2005 Pent-up demand for…