News in end use

Statistics Canada reported today that Canadian real GDP declined 0.1% in December, following a 0.1% increase in November. Goods-producing industries fell 0.6%, while service-producing industries remained unchanged.

On Monday, the National Association of Realtors® reported its Pending Homes Sales Index improved 8.1% month-over-month in January to a reading of 82.5. The PHSI has now increased for two consecutive months. Year-over-year, contract signings have declined 24.1%.

Information from the US Census Bureau’s latest Survey of Market Absorption of New Multifamily Units, with further analysis provided by the National Association of Home Builders, reveals that the multifamily market continues experience high demand, with apartment completions reaching their highest point since 2021Q3.

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported on Thursday that according to its Purchase Applications Payment Index (PAPI), homebuyer affordability declined in January, as the national median payment applied for by applicants increased 2.3% to $1,964 from $1,920 in December 2022.

On Friday, the US Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development jointly announced that new residential single-family home sales for January were at a SAAR of 670,000, according to estimates. This is 7.2% above the revised December rate of 625,000.

In a new report, Redfin said that pending home sales activity, through Redfin agents, rose 0.5% on a seasonally adjusted basis from a month earlier in January. That compares with December’s revised month-over-month increase of 1.4%, which marked the first gain in 14 months.

The US Bureau of Economic Analysis reported on Friday that according to its estimates, personal income (PI) increased 0.6% in January; disposable personal income (DPI) increased 2.0%; and personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased1.8%.

The University of Michigan on Friday released the final results of its Consumer Sentiment Index for February. The Index of Consumer Sentiment rose to a reading of 67.0 in February, up from 64.9 in January. This is a month-over-month increase of 3.2%.

The National Association of Home Builders today released its Multifamily Market Survey for 2022Q4. The two main confidence indexes for multifamily housing increased slightly, but both remain in negative territory. The Multifamily Production Index (MPI) increased 2 points from Q3 to a reading of 34.

Freddie Mac has released its Primary Mortgage Market Survey® for the week ending February 23rd. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.50%, up from last week when it averaged 6.32%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year rate averaged 3.89%.