BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 8/30/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 8/30/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• Pending home sales dipped in July as interest rates rose
• U.S. GDP rose by 2.5 percent in 2Q 2013 in second estimate
• Initial unemployment claims fall by 6,000 in latest report

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BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 8/28/13

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In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• Case-Shiller Home Price Indices continued to rise in the second quarter of 2013
• Consumer confidence slightly rebounds in August
• Durable goods orders drop sharply in July after three months of gains

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BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 8/26/13

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In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• New home sales dropped sharply in July
• FOMC minutes show greater support for tapering off bond purchases
• Mortgage applications dip by 4.6 percent in latest survey, mostly due to fewer refinancings

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BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 8/23/13

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In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• Existing home sales spiked in July
• FHFA House Price Index rose 2.1% in the second quarter of 2013
• Leading Economic Index rose 0.6% in July after being flat in June
• Initial unemployment claims rose by 13,000 in latest report

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BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 8/19/13

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In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• July housing starts up 5.9% from June and 20.9% from July 2012
• July building permits up 2.7% from June and 12.4% from July 2012
• Productivity edges up in second quarter but still below long-term averages

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BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 8/16/13

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In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• Builder confidence rises to highest level in nearly eight years
• Producer Price Index flat in July due to very little inflation
• CPI up by 0.2% in July and 2.0% over past year

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BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 8/14/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 8/14/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• Retail sales rose in July as economy gains strength
• Business inventories flat in June
• Import prices rose slightly in June as inflation remains tame

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BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 8/12/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 8/12/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• Wholesale inventories unexpectedly drop for third month
• Mortgage applications rise slightly in latest survey

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August column for Builder & Developer magazine now online

My column for the August issue of Builder & Developer magazine is now posted online.

For this issue, entitled "Land:  The New Building Currency," I covered how the ability to buy and hold onto developable land has returned as a crucial form of currency in homebuilding. An excerpt:

A funny thing happened on the way to the housing rebound: land — and the ability to buy and hold onto it — has returned as the primary currency in the home building industry. At least for now, this access to capital will likely have a profound impact as stronger, public builders snap up private builders starved for cash and shut out of the public markets. As a result, look for even more consolidation as this stage of the revival plays out. 

Whereas in 2007, the top 10 public builders sold 24 percent of new homes built and sold, during the first quarter of 2013 that capture rate had risen by six percentage points to 30 percent, at least according to an analysis by Deutsche Bank. That’s in large part due to the $1.5 billion some of these builders spent on eight large acquisitions over the last 18 months. Argues Lennar’s CEO Stuart Miller in a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, “We have the ways to win now: We participate in the natural recovery, but additionally, we’re picking up market share form a group of builders that isn’t able to get financing.”  

To read the entire column, click here.

To read the entire August 2013 issue in digital format, click here.

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 8/9/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 8/9/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• Consumer credit use rose less than expected in June
• Initial unemployment claims rise by 5,000 in latest report

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BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 8/7/13

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In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• Service sector activity expanded in July at faster rate than manufacturing
• Trade balance dipped notably in June
• Labor turnover largely unchanged between May and June

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BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 8/5/13

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In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• U.S. economy adds fewer jobs than forecast as wages fell
• Personal income rose less than expected in June
• Chicago PMI rises in July in challenging business environment
• Manufacturing sector activity expanded in July as conditions improve

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BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 8/2/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 8/2/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• Private sector jobs rose by 200,000 from June to July
• Job cuts declined slightly in June
• Second Quarter 2013 GDP rose by 1.7% in first estimate
• Employment cost index up by 0.5% in second quarter
• Construction spending unexpectedly fell by 0.6% in June
• Initial unemployment claims fall by 19,000 in latest report

Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.