News

The Federal Reserve kicks off its two-day policy meeting on Tuesday, with a decision on interest rates and a press conference slated for Wednesday afternoon. As mentioned earlier, markets widely anticipate a cut to the benchmark Fed Funds Rate. On the housing front, we’ll get a look at this month’s homebuilder confidence on Tuesday, followed […]

It’s National Honey Month – the perfect excuse to bake this delicious Apple Honey Bundt Cake, courtesy of Allrecipes and perfect for sharing with up to 12 people. Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and greasing and flouring a 9-inch Bundt pan or two loaf pans. In a large bowl, mix 1 […]

Annual home price growth eased in July, with Cotality reporting a 1.4% year-over-year increase – down from 1.7% in June. ICE Mortgage Monitor showed similar results, with national home values rising 1.1% year-over-year, unchanged from the previous month and ending a seven-month streak of slowing gains. What’s the bottom line?Despite the slowdown, expert sentiment remains […]

Wholesale inflation dipped 0.1% in August, reversing a spike in July, according to the latest Producer Price Index (PPI) report. Producer prices rose 2.6% over the past year, a slowdown from 3.1% the month before. Core prices, which exclude the more volatile food and energy categories, also declined 0.1% in August, bringing the annual core […]

Inflation edged higher last month, with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rising 0.4% in August. While slightly above the monthly forecast, annual inflation came in at 2.9% – right in line with expectations. The uptick in headline inflation was mainly driven by higher energy costs, especially gasoline prices which rose nearly 2%. Core inflation, which […]

Initial jobless claims rose by 27,000 to 263,000 – the highest since 2021 and above expectations. Continuing claims, which track people still receiving unemployment benefits after the first week, held steady at 1.939 million. What’s the bottom line?The sharp rise in new claims, along with continuing claims staying above 1.9 million for 16 straight weeks, […]

The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), revealing that job growth for the 12 months through March 2025 was overestimated by 911,000 jobs. That’s an average overstatement of 76,000 jobs per month – meaning more than half of the reported gains never actually occurred. This marks the […]

August job growth fell short of expectations, with just 22,000 jobs added versus the 75,000 forecast. Revisions to June and July showed a combined downward adjustment of 21,000 jobs, including a loss of 13,000 in June – the first monthly job decline since December 2020. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate ticked up slightly from 4.2% to […]

After a strong rebound in July, private sector job growth cooled in August, with just 54,000 jobs added, according to ADP. That’s well below the 75,000 expected and nearly half of July’s 106,000 gain.Mid-sized businesses (50-499 employees) led hiring with 25,000 new jobs, while small businesses added 12,000. Large companies, which had previously driven growth, […]

Job openings fell more than expected in July, dropping to 7.18 million – well below the forecast of 7.4 million. This marks the lowest level since last September. June’s numbers were also revised down by 80,000 to 7.36 million. The biggest declines came from the health care, retail and hospitality sectors.On top of that, both […]

Initial jobless claims rose by 8,000 to 237,000, matching a two-month high and coming in above expectations. Meanwhile,continuing claims, which track those still receiving unemployment benefits after the first week, dipped slightly by 4,000 to 1.94million. What’s the bottom line?Continuing claims have stayed above 1.9 million for 15 weeks in a row. This signals that […]

National Blackberry Day is September 12, but you can enjoy this easy Blackberry Cobbler from Food Network any time. This recipe yields 4 servings. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 3-quart baking dish with butter. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1cup sugar, 1 cup self-rising flour, and 1 cup whole […]

Football is back, and these Spiced Mixed Nuts and Pretzels from Food Network make the perfect gameday snack, yielding about 4 cups. Start by mixing the spice blend: combine 3 tablespoons of sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme, 3/4 teaspoon ground mustard, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher […]

Housing Market Activity Slows: Pending Home Sales (signed contracts for existing homes) slipped 0.4% in July compared to June, falling short of expectations. However, they were still 0.7% higher than a year ago. According to the National Association of REALTORS®, buyers remain cautious despite modest improvements in inventory and borrowing conditions. Economic Growth Rebounds: The […]

The Case-Shiller Home Price Index – often considered the “gold standard” for tracking home values – showed home prices rose 0.1% from May to June before seasonal adjustments, but dipped 0.3% after. This is typical for spring, when seasonal adjustments smooth out expected increases, but because this year’s gains were smaller than usual, the adjusted […]