The advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 220,000 during the week ending September 9th, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week.
News in end use
Mortgage Applications Decline in the Week Ending September 8th
Mortgage loan application volume declined 0.8% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
Consumer Price Index Increases 0.6% in August; All-Item Index Up 3.7% Year-Over-Year
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.6% in August on a seasonally adjusted basis.
US Consumer Credit Outstanding Growth Slowed in July
Consumer credit outstanding growth slowed to a SAAR of 2.5% in July, down from 3.4% in June, according to the Federal Reserve and NAHB.
Smurfit Kappa Reaches Agreement to Purchase WestRock, Creating World’s Largest Paper and Packaging Company
Ireland’s Smurfit Kappa has reached an agreement to purchase WestRock for an agreed $11 billion to create the world’s largest paper and packaging company, Reuters reported.
Mortgage Credit Availability Increases in August
The Mortgage Bankers Association’s Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI) increased 0.3% to a reading of 96.6 in August.
Late-Summer Homebuying Slowdown Brings Additional Options to Potential Buyers
Zillow data shows that sellers listed nearly 350,000 homes for sale across the US in August, approximately 4% more than in July.
Asking Rents Remained High in August, but Some Landlords Are Now Offering Concessions
Redfin reported that the median US asking rent was $2,052 in August, just $2 below the record high set a year earlier. The median rent is up 0.7% from July.
NFIB Small Business Optimism Index Declines in August
The NFIB Small Business Optimism Index declined 0.6 points to a reading of 91.3 in August.
New US Single-Family Spec Home Lot Sizes Continued to Shrink in 2022
42% of new single-family detached homes sold in 2022 were built on lots under 7,000 square feet (less than 0.16 of an acre), according to the Census Bureau and NAHB.