There were approximately 15,000 single-family built-for-rent (SFBFR) starts during the final quarter of 2021. Over the course of 2021, 51,000 such homes began construction, which is a 15.9% gain compared to the 44,000 estimated SFBFR starts in 2020.
News in end use
Fannie Mae’s Economic and Strategic Research Group Down Grades 2022 GDP Expectations
The combination of a less accommodative interest rate environment and an increasingly worker-scarce labor market led the ESR Group to downgrade its expectations for 2022 real GDP growth from 3.1% to 2.8%; however, its expectations for 2023 headline growth remained unchanged at 2.2%, a pace that approaches the long-run trend.
Mortgage Rates Climb Higher in the Week Ending February 17, 2022
Freddie Mac has released its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) for the week ending February 17, 2022. The PMMS reports that the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.92% with an average 0.8 point, up from last week when it averaged 3.69%. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 2.81%.
Weekly Jobless Claims Increase in the Week Ending February 12, 2022
The U.S. Department of Labor is reporting that an additional 248,000 Americans made their initial filing for unemployment benefits during the week ending on Saturday, February 12, 2022. This is an increase of 23,000 from the previous week’s revised level. The 4-week moving average was 243,250.
Led by Lumber, Costs of Residential Construction Products Continued to Rise in January
A closer examination of the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index (PPI) report, released on Tuesday (2-15-22), with analysis provided by the National Association of Home Builders, reveals that the price of products used in residential construction in January, less energy, increased 3.6% (not seasonally adjusted).
Canadian Home Sales Edge Higher Month-Over-Month but Remain Down Year-Over-Year in January
According to statistics released on Wednesday (2-16-22) by the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA), home sales recorded over Canadian MLS® Systems edged up 1% between December 2021 and January 2022. CREA is reporting that activity has been generally stable now for four months, running in between the record-highs of last spring and the slowdown posted last summer.
Canadian Consumer Price Index Up 0.9% in January; Inflation Rises 5.1% Year-Over-Year
Statistics Canada (StatsCan) reported today (2-16-22) that Canadian inflation in January 2022 surpassed 5% for the first time since September 1991, rising 5.1% on a year-over-year basis and up from a 4.8% gain in December 2021. The Canadian Consumer Price Index (CPI) increased 1.0% on an annual average basis in January 2022. On a monthly basis, the CPI rose 0.9% in January.
Mortgage Applications Decline for Second Consecutive Week in the Week Ending February 11, 2022
According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Application Survey (WMAS), for the week ending February 11, 2022, the Market Composite Index—a measure of mortgage loan application volume—decreased -5.4% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index declined -3.0% compared with the previous week.
Home Builder Sentiment Slips Again in February
The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) reported on Wednesday (2-16-22) that builder sentiment in the market for newly built single-family homes edged 1-point lower in February to a reading of 82. This marks the second consecutive month the HMI has slipped 1-point lower.
Canadian Housing Starts Decline in January 2022
According to data released today (2-15-22) by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), the trend in housing starts declined in January 2022 to 254,133 units, down from 261,352 units in December 2021. This trend measure is a six-month moving average of the monthly seasonally adjusted annual rates (SAAR) of housing starts.