Tag Archives: US EConomics

QUARTZ The ‘Lock-in Effect’ is Easing. Here is What It means for the Housing Market Homeowners are beginning to give up on waiting for lower mortgage rates. That could be good news for potential homebuyers. In the first quarter of this year, six of every seven homeowners, or 86%, have a mortgage rate below 6%, according to a Redfin analysis of the Federal Housing Finance Agency’s National Mortgage Database published Tuesday. That’s down from a...

Why people stay after local economies collapse − a story of home among the ghosts of shuttered steel mills by Tracy Walsh The Conversation It was midday on a Saturday, and Simonetta led me from the open front door of her home in southeast Chicago to her sitting room and settled next to her husband, Christopher, on the couch. In the 1980s, Christopher had worked a few blocks away at U.S. Steel South Works, earning three times the minimum...

Repeat home sale indexes show continued deceleration in house price inflation, more comfort room for Fed to cut rates  – by New Deal democrat This morning, we got the repeat home sales price data from the FHFA and Case Shiller. And the news was good, especially in the slightly leading FHFA Index. This is of heightened importance compared with normal historical times. That’s because to reiterate, my focus is looking for any movement towards...

Americans hate high prices, and Kamala Harris says she plans to combat them by banning price gouging in food and groceries. But, depending on what form it takes, economists could hate her plan. Vice President Harris, who will formally accept her party’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago this week, has laid the blame for high food prices at the feet of businesses. Surveys conducted by Harvard University economist Stefanie...

Yes, it is true. That is only part of the story. There is more to it as to why the FTC is interfering. I am surprised there is not more “current” information on Cerberus and Apollo Global involvement in the Kroger-Albertsons merger. I keep reading the same blathering over and over. $25 billion at play here. And both private equity guys are out to break the bank. Kroger is already threating to go to SCOTUS because the FTC’s Lina M. Khan is...

The Arizona secretary of state’s office recently certified 577,971 signatures which is far above the number required to put the question of Abortion before voters. PHOENIX (AP) — Voters in Arizona will be able to decide in November whether they want to protect the right to an abortion in their state constitution. The Arizona Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a 200-word summary that abortion advocates used to collect signatures for a ballot...

According to Word Press this article by EPI can be read in 7 minutes. It is not a difficult read and gives quite a bit of information. Wage growth strongest for low-wage workers between 2019 and 2023 In this analysis, we divide the wage distribution into roughly five groups to uncover recent wage trends at different wage levels.  Figure A displays wage growth at the 10th percentile (“low-wage”), the average of the 20th–40th percentiles...

Increasing profits far above actual costs. Think Medicare Advantage as compared to Medicare. Over the past 20 years, the prices of hospital services have grown faster than any other sector of the US economy. Unfortunately, the federal government recently issued a regulation intending to address underpayment of hospitals by Medicaid. However, the new rule could push hospital prices higher for 66 percent of the US population who have commercial...

New Deal democrat talked about the issues of the difference in Household and Establishment population numbers here and here (Bonddad Blog) and also on Angry Bear. I also added some detail in two separate posts also. Accordingly, New Deal democrat; “A big current issue with the Household Survey is whether, by relying on Census estimates, it has substantially underestimated population growth, and in particular immigration-driven growth, in the past two...

Weekly Indicators for August 19 – 23 at Seeking Alpha  – by New Deal democrat My “Weekly Indicators” post is up at Seeking Alpha. This week, for the first time in several years, the number of long leading indicators improved just enough for me to move the rating from “negative” to “neutral.” And the short leading indicators are lopsidedly very positive. As usual, clicking over and reading will bring you up to the virtual moment on the...