US Housing Market Rapid Response US New Home Sales (Jan 2025) The large fall in new home sales in January was to be expected given the disruption from the unseasonably severe winter weather. While sales should rebound this month, elevated mortgage rates will... 26th February 2025 · 2 mins read
US Housing Market Rapid Response US Case-Shiller/FHFA House Prices (Dec. 2024) The stronger 0.5% m/m rise in house prices in December suggests sellers still have the upper hand despite more homes coming onto the market and weak buyer demand. This raises the risk that we have... 25th February 2025 · 2 mins read
US Housing Market Rapid Response US Existing Home Sales (Jan. 2025) The fall in existing home sales in January reflects weak deal-making at the end of last year due to the surge in mortgage rates. Given that borrowing costs have stayed above 7% since then, we expect... 21st February 2025 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Rapid Response US Housing Starts (Jan. 2025) The decline in housing starts in January is not a major concern, as it comes after a surge in starts in December and appears partly driven by the unseasonably harsh weather. Encouragingly, permit... 19th February 2025 · 2 mins read
Emerging Europe Rapid Response US-Russia talks don’t signal near-term end to the war The decision by the US and Russia to “lay the groundwork” to end the war in Ukraine marks a potentially significant turning point after three years of conflict. Negotiations will take time and the... 18th February 2025 · 2 mins read
US Housing Market Rapid Response US Mortgage Applications (Jan. 2025) The steep rise in home purchase mortgage applications in January left applications at their highest level since June 2023. However, taking a step back, activity remains extremely depressed compared to... 5th February 2025 · 2 mins read
US Housing Market Rapid Response Case-Shiller/FHFA House Prices (Nov. 2024) The modest rise in house prices in November adds to the sense that the housing market is experiencing a bit of a slowdown amid weak buyer demand and gradually rising supply. We think this trend has a... 28th January 2025 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Rapid Response US New Home Sales (Dec. 2024) The 3.6% increase in new home sales in December wraps up a solid year for newbuild demand in an otherwise stagnant housing market, with sales up nearly 3% over 2024 as a whole. We expect new home... 27th January 2025 · 2 mins read
US Housing Market Rapid Response US: Existing Home Sales (Dec. 2024) The small rise in existing home sales in December reflects deals that came together in September and October, when mortgage rates hit a nadir of 6.2%, getting across the line. Given the recent selloff... 24th January 2025 · 1 min read
US Housing Market Rapid Response Housing Starts (Dec. 2024) The large rebound in housing starts and continued resilience of building permits in December provides some support to our forecast that starts will remain solid in the first half of the year. However... 17th January 2025 · 2 mins read
US Housing Market Rapid Response Mortgage Applications (Dec. 2024) The small decline in purchase mortgage applications in December is worse than it looks, as it masks a collapse in demand in the final few weeks of the month, driven by mortgage rates climbing above 7%... 8th January 2025 · 2 mins read
US Housing Market Rapid Response Existing Home Sales (Nov. 2024) The increase in existing home sales in November, despite rising mortgage rates and weakening mortgage applications the month before, points to stronger demand from cash buyers, possibly driven by... 19th December 2024 · 2 mins read
US Housing Market Rapid Response Housing Starts (Nov. 2024) The decline in housing starts in November was entirely due to weakness in multifamily construction, which outweighed a post-hurricane rebound in single-family construction. The rise in permits to a... 18th December 2024 · 2 mins read
US Housing Market Rapid Response Mortgage Applications (Nov. 2024) The rebound in purchase mortgage applications in November shows that there were some signs of life in the market, despite the return of 7% mortgage rates. But taking a step back, activity remains... 4th December 2024 · 2 mins read
US Housing Market Rapid Response Case-Shiller/FHFA House Prices (Sep. 2024) The second consecutive moderate 0.3% rise in house prices in September reflects the market picking up momentum over the summer as mortgage rates fell. However, timelier indicators, like the sales-to... 26th November 2024 · 2 mins read
US Housing Market Rapid Response New Home Sales (Oct. 2024) The large fall in new home sales in October was to be expected given the disruption from hurricanes Helene and Milton, as well as the rise in mortgage rates last month. While sales should rebound this... 26th November 2024 · 2 mins read
