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MarketMinute | Home Buyers Are Coming Off the Sidelines — Here’s Why

Mar 6

4:24

AM

Category | Markets in a Minute

Oil prices jumped this week as the Middle East conflict raised concerns about shipping and supply restraints in the global oil market.

Rising oil prices renewed inflation fears and reduced expectations of Fed rate cuts, pushing rates higher.

Current labor data, including unemployment claims and the ADP private payroll report, gave conflicting views of labor market strength.

Housing News

Rates briefly hit 4-year lows last week, moving purchasers off the fence. Purchase apps rose 6.1% for the week and 10% year over year.

Homebuyer preferences are shifting from open layouts toward more traditional designs with better privacy and energy efficiency, per the NAR.

HousingWire reports property taxes and homeowners insurance account for an average of 21% of monthly payments, impacting affordability.

MarketMinute | How did rates impact mortgage apps?

Feb 27

4:28

AM

Category | Markets in a Minute

The labor market continues to show resilience. Jobless claims came in lower than expected last week, indicating layoffs remain relatively low.

Consumer confidence was better than expected in February, though the share of consumers viewing jobs as "hard to get" reached a 5-year high.

The prospect of being replaced by AI is leading higher income workers to stay in their jobs longer, reports CNBC.

Housing News

ICE reports home prices grew 0.5% in January, a slight slowdown from 2025’s annual increase of 0.6%.

Despite headlines of rates hitting a 4-year low, total mortgage application volume was basically flat, rising just 0.4% for the week.

President Trump highlighted taxes, inflation, and trade in his State of the Union address, making only a passing reference to housing.

MarketMinute | Housing Starts Rebound

Feb 20

9:00

AM

Category | Markets in a Minute

Last week's initial jobless claims saw the biggest drop since November, coming in at 206K and pointing to labor market stabilization.

Fed meeting minutes showed many officials were worried more about inflation than the labor market, making a cut in March unlikely.

The U.S. trade deficit widened to $70.3 billion in December, marking one of the largest annual gaps on record.

Housing News

Pending home sales continued to slide in January. Improving affordability was not enough to overcome winter weather and economic concerns.

Single family housing starts rebounded in December with a 4.1% increase, though permits for future construction slipped lower.

Builder confidence fell for the second straight month in February, as builders worried about high price-to-income ratios and rising costs.

MarketMinute | Jobs Stay Strong & Housing Slows

Feb 13

5:13

AM

Category | Markets in a Minute

The Commerce Department reported a stall in retail sales growth for December, after a 0.6% increase in November.

The BLS January jobs report showed a resilient labor market, with stronger-than-expected job creation and an unemployment rate of 4.3%.

However, revisions to past data showed 1.5 million jobs created in 2024, rather than the 2 million reported, and only 181,000 added in 2025.

Housing News

Purchase mortgage applications were 4% higher year over year, though down 2% for the week.

HousingWire reports senior housing demand is rising faster than new supply. Construction is at its lowest level in more than a decade.

NAR attributes an 8.4% month-over-month drop in January’s existing home sales to winter weather and reduced inventory.

MarketMinute | Check out homeowner interest rates

Feb 6

3:22

AM

Category | Markets in a Minute

Both new and continuing jobless claims were higher than expected last week, possibly due to the severe winter weather.

Last month, companies announced the largest number of job cuts for any January since 2009, according to the Challenger jobs report.

The partial government shutdown lasted only a couple of days, but it pushed labor and inflation reports to next week.

Housing News

ICE Mortgage Technology reports over 30% of homeowners have a mortgage rate above 5%, with about 20% having rates over 6%.

Harsh winter storms hit much of the country, keeping potential buyers home and leading to a 9% drop in total mortgage application volume.

Apartment rents fell in January to the lowest level in 4 years. The national median rent was $1,353, a drop of 1.4% from last year.