Prices for inputs to new residential construction—excluding capital investment, labor, and imports—were up 1.2% in January according to the most recent Producer Price Index (PPI) report published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Producer Price Index measures prices that domestic producers receive for their goods and services, this differs from the Consumer Price…

Confidence in the market for new multifamily housing reflected mixed results year-over-year in the fourth quarter, according to results from the Multifamily Market Survey (MMS) released today by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).  The MMS produces two separate indices.  While the Multifamily Production Index (MPI) increased seven points to 48 year-over-year, it is…

Inflation edged up to a six-month high in January and showed little progress from a year ago. The persistent inflation rate indicates the last mile to the Fed’s 2% target continues to be challenging and is consistent with the Fed’s cautious stance amid solid economic growth and growing uncertainty. While core inflation remained stubborn due…

Lending standards for residential mortgages were essentially unchanged across most categories, while overall demand for most residential mortgages was weaker according to the Federal Reserve Board’s January 2025 Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey (SLOOS).  Examining lending conditions for commercial real estate (CRE) loans, construction & development loans were modestly tighter, while demand was modestly weaker.  However, for…

U.S. job growth slowed in January amid Southern California wildfires and severe winter weather across much of the country. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate edged down to 4.0%. This month’s data indicates that the labor market is slowing at the start of 2025 but remains healthy. In January, wage growth remained unchanged from the previous month….

The most significant challenge builders faced in 2024 was high interest rates, as reported by 91% of builders in the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index survey.  A smaller, albeit still significant share of 78% expect interest rates to remain a problem in 2025. The next four most serious issues builders faced in 2024 were rising…