CNBC's article "Treasury Secretary Yellen says rates may have to rise somewhat to keep economy from overheating" What do higher rates mean for investment portfolios? Call King Harbor to discuss. Treasury Secretary Yellen and Higher Rates
Higher mortgage rates and a low supply of homes for sale pushed existing home sales lower in March. exhomesales
Historically low mortgage rates propelled housing starts and housing permits to its fastest pace since 2006. Housing Starts
Government stimulus can not come fast enough as the economy continues to weaken. Advanced monthly retail sales declined -.7% vs an expectation of unchanged. Sales ex auto declined -1.4% vs an expected decline of -.2%. The unadjusted value of sales in 2020 increased .6%, the weakest increase in 11 years. Retail [...]
It is hard to find any good labor market news. The lack of stimulus money, increased lockdowns and surging COVID-19 cases continue to make getting a job difficult. Weekly initial claims rose 181k to 965k. The increase was the largest since March. initial_jobless_claims
Consumer prices remains tame. This data gives policy makers little reason to tighten monetary policy. However, asset price inflation (real estate, stock market prices) is an entirely different conversation. cpi
Confirming weakness in the labor market, Nonfarm Payrolls showed a decline of 140k jobs. This was the first decline in jobs since April’s massive loss of 20.7mm jobs. NFP
The labor market's weakness prior to a "third wave" of covid cases is problematic. However, the market seems to view this release as old news and instead is focused on a Democratic Senate and reflation. ADP Payrolls
A string of economic releases point to a slow down in the US economy. Today’s disappointments include personal income and spending, consumer sentiment and yes home sales. Initial jobless claims (803k) came in better than expected, but remain elevated. Home Sales
More signs of a deteriorating economy as consumer confidence declined in November. Consumer Confidence
