Friday, March 31, 2017

Consumer Confidence Surges; Pending Home Sales (Elsewhere) Spiking


Some news nuggets from the past 10 days:


-- Consumer confidence surged to a 16+-year high in March. Consumer optimism is supported by a strong and getting stronger labor market, and a positive economic outlook.

-- Some members of the Federal Reserve made comments this week supporting more than three rate hikes this year. The majority, however, still favors a gradual approach to increases.

-- Pending home sales rose 5.5 percent in February, a 2.6 percent increase year-over-year. Warm weather across much of the U.S. and potentially higher interest rates have said to be the cause.

--  Home prices across the vast majority of the U.S. roared to the highest levels in nearly three years as demand remains strong. Tight inventory (the opposite of what we are seeing here in SWFL) continues to be an issue, supporting increasing prices.

-- Warm winter weather also has led to a surge in new home construction. Homebuilders, however, are struggling to find enough workers to meet demand.






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