Articles
Catalina Research report on e-commerce sales
Catalina Research has released its newest report on flooring, furnishing and home improvement e-commerce trends. According to the report, e-commerce sales for the leading online retailers of flooring, furnishing and home improvement products soared as the coronavirus shelter-in-place orders accelerated the shift to e-commerce business. Read More
BEA News: Gross Domestic Product, 1st Quarter 2020 (Third Estimate); Corporate Profits, 1st Quarter 2020 (Revised Estimate)
Real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased 5.0 percent in the first quarter of 2020, according to the “third” estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The decline is the same as in the “second” estimate released in May. In the fourth quarter of 2019, real GDP increased 2.1 percent. Read More
Builder Confidence Surges in June as Housing Rebound is Underway
"As the nation reopens, housing is well-positioned to lead the economy forward," said NAHB chairman Dean Mon, a home builder and developer from Shrewsbury, N.J. "Inventory is tight, mortgage applications are increasing, interest rates are low and confidence is rising. And buyer traffic more than doubled in one month even as builders report growing online and phone inquiries stemming from the outbreak." Read More
New Housing Numbers Flash Signs of Continued Growth
"The May housing report is consistent with the positive results of the NAHB/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index, and we expect this momentum to continue as economic activity recovers," said NAHB chief economist Robert Dietz. "In another promising sign, single-family permits are up almost 2 percent on a year-to-date basis and builders are bringing back thousands of workers laid off in March and April to meet renewed demand." Read More
New home sales jump in May
In a further sign that the housing market is rebounding from the COVID-19 pandemic, sales of newly built, single-family homes rose 16.6 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 676,000 units in May from a downwardly revised reading in April, according to newly released data by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Census Bureau. The May rate is 12.7 percent higher than the May 2019 pace. Read More
New housing numbers show sign of growth
"We are seeing many positive economic indicators that point to a recovery, including low interest rates, rising demand and an increase in mortgage applications," said Dean Mon, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder and developer from Shrewsbury, N.J. "Single-family and multifamily housing production are on an upward path while overall permits, which are a harbinger of future building activity, posted a double-digit gain." Read More