Headline inflation and core inflation slowed in July after hitting a 13-year high in June. As the economy reopens, supply-chain disruptions and rebounding demand for certain services and products, such as travel-related services, pushed up consumer prices. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 0.5% in July on a seasonally adjusted basis,… Read More ›

Lot values for single-family detached homes started in 2020 surged 18%, according to NAHB’s analysis of the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC) data. As a result, the median lot price reached a new record high of $53,000. Though an 18% jump in lot values is unprecedented, it is consistent with other significant building material price hikes and undeniable supply… Read More ›

In the second quarter of 2021, non-real estate-secured consumer credit increased at a seasonally adjusted annual rate by 8.8%, with revolving debt1 increasing by 10.7% and nonrevolving debt2 increasing by 8.3%. Consumer credit totaled $4.3 trillion on a seasonally adjusted annual basis, with $992 billion comprised of revolving debt and $3.3 trillion in nonrevolving debt. This outstanding level marks a total increase of… Read More ›

In the June labor market data, job openings for the overall economy increased to 10.1 million open positions. What had been a challenge in certain sectors, like construction, is now a broad labor access issue as businesses seek workers as the economy reopens. The count of open construction jobs increased in June to 339,000 unfilled positions, according to data from… Read More ›