Popular Economics Weekly
Starts on new houses climbed 3 percent in February to the second-highest level since 2007, reflecting pent-up demand in a steadily growing economy that builders are aiming to address. And builder optimism continues to rise to new levels.
In a sign that first-time homebuyers may finally find more affordable housing, the NAHB/Wells Fargo housing market index is up a very sharp 6 points in March to 71 for the best reading of the economic cycle, and a 12-year high. Home builders peg current sales at an index of 78, up 7 points from February, and see future sales also at 78, for a 5 point gain.
“While builders are clearly confident, we expect some moderation in the index moving forward,” said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. “Builders continue to face a number of challenges, including rising material prices, higher mortgage rates, and shortages of lots and labor.”The pace of so-called housing starts rose to an annual rate of 1.29 million last month, with construction on single-family homes also hitting the highest level since before the Great Recession. And permits for single-family homes, where building costs and sale prices are the highest, rose 3.1 percent in February to an 832,000 rate that, in good news for a thinly supplied new home market, is up 13.5 percent year-on-year. This is offset, however, by a downturn in multi-family units where permits fell 22 percent in the month to a 381,000 rate that is down a yearly 11.2 percent.
And we will be seeing supply relief for single-family homes even though completions, in a detail that home builders will note, fell 6.5 percent to a 754,000 rate. Nevertheless, new supply is coming as homes under construction rose 1.3 percent to 1.091 million for the highest reading since the great bubble in October 2007, said the NAHB in it press release.
In a sign that job availability is still tight, initial jobless claims remain low. Initial jobless claims are holding at trend, down 2,000 in the March 11 week to 241,000, reports Econoday. The 4-week average, little changed at 237,250, is down nearly 10,000 from mid-February in what offers a favorable signal for the March employment report that comes at the end of the month.
So we have a surging housing market for single-family homes in particular, a sign that homebuyers—including first timers—are feeling more confident about their jobs. In fact, job openings in the Labor Department’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey (JOLTS) came in at 5.626 million in January and remain strong and right at their 2-year trend.
But there was an acceleration is hiring, which rose 2.6 percent in the month to 5.440 million for one of the best readings of the economic cycle. This is while the quits rate, up 1 tenth to 2.2 percent, hints at improved confidence among workers while the layoff rate remains low and unchanged at 1.1 percent.
No wonder the Federal Reserve has turned optimistic as well. Janet Yellen in her latest press release after the Fed raised its fed funds rate another one-quarter percent said we were entering a virtuous cycle of robust growth that was neither too hot (i.e., inflationary), nor too cold (more jobs were being created).
Harlan Green © 2017
Follow Harlan Green on Twitter: https://twitter.com/HarlanGreen
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