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Category Archives: Employment and Unemployment

Economic Update: Initial Jobless Claims Fell 15,000 to 358,000

Initial jobless claims fell 15,000 to 358,000 in the week ended February 4, which was better than the 370,000 claims expected by consensus. The 4-week moving average is now under 370,000 and moving further into recovery territory. Mild weather once again explains some of the good news, with some states reporting of fewer layoffs in [...]

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House Prices and the Unemployment Rate

On Friday the Bureau of Labor Statistics will release the unemployment rate for December.   Whatever the numbers look like we are sure to hear a debate about housing and unemployment — are they related, which causes which and does one hold the key to solving the other.  A quick look at the way home prices [...]

Also posted in Other Housing Data, S&P/Case-Shiller Indices | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

U.S. economic forecast: it’s not over yet

Just as some good news finally came our way in June, increasing our hopes that the soft patch in the economy may finally be behind us, the government’s payrolls report on July 8 indicated that it isn’t over yet. Automatic Data Processing’s (ADP’s) June private payrolls survey had showed that employers had added a solid [...]

Also posted in Consumer Credit, Economic Data, GDP, Housing Starts and Permits, Retail Sales | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Liquidity is a key focus as the recovery for U.S. homebuilders remains elusive

Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services’ base-case outlook for credit quality in the U.S. homebuilding sector is generally stable through the balance of 2011 despite a disappointing spring selling season. Our cautiously stable outlook for 2012 could tilt in a negative direction if our baseline forecast for a modest housing recovery again fails to materialize and [...]

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Don’t Blame All of Housing on Unemployment

This morning’s Employment Report for May was disappointing with the unemployment rate up 0.1 to 9.1% and weaker than expected growth in payrolls.  Many people point to the poor employment picture as the leading reason for falling home prices.  Without question, employment and people’s views of the labor market are important, but they are not [...]

Also posted in Consumer Sentiment | Tagged | Leave a comment
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