Home Prices Finish Year at Highest Rate of Increase in 34 Years

The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Indexes finished 2021 with the single-highest rate of increase in 34 years of data-keeping. In a separate report, the Federal Housing Finance Agency said 2021 home prices rose by 17.5 percent.

Existing Home Sales Fire Up as Rates Rise

Ahead of rapidly rising interest rates and a dearth of new housing, the National Association of Realtors on Friday said January existing home sales jumped by nearly 7 percent from December.

January Housing Starts Down 4.1%

Housing starts stumbled out the gate in January amid ongoing supply chain issues and labor shortages, HUD and the Census Bureau reported Thursday.

Consumer Prices Roar Ahead

The Consumer Price Index rose by another 0.6 percent in January and by an eye-catching 7.5 percent from a year ago, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday.

Inflation Takes Toll on Small Business Optimism

The National Federation of Independent Businesses Small Business Optimism Index decreased in January amid rising concerns over inflation’s impact.

January Employment Shows Solid 467,000 Gain

For the first time in months, the Employment Report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics exceeded expectations: employers added 467,000 jobs in January, despite a surge in Omicron-variant coronavirus cases, BLS reported Friday.

2021 Construction Spending Up 9%

Construction spending slowed a bit in December, but finished the year on a strong note, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday.

‘Great Resignation’ Shows No Signs of Slowing

Nearly 11 million jobs remained open and nearly 6 million more Americans left their jobs in December—signaling the “Great Resignation” shows no signs of stopping, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Tuesday.

New Home Sales Finish 2021 on Solid Ground, But Down for Year

New home sales rose by nearly 12 percent in December, the highest level since last March, HUD and the Census Bureau reported Wednesday. Despite the improved numbers, however, sales were off from a year ago and 2021 sales fell by more than 7 percent from 2020.

January Consumer Confidence Stalls

Winter is here: after three fairly optimistic previous reports, consumer confidence took a downward turn in January, the Conference Board, New York, reported on Tuesday.