According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Application Survey (WMAS), for the week ending October 1, 2021, the Market Composite Index — a measure of mortgage loan application volume — decreased -6.9% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased -7% compared with the previous week.
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ADP Reports Private Sector Employment Increased by 568,000 Jobs in September
According to the September ADP® National Employment Report™ nonfarm private sector employment increased by 568,000 jobs from August to September. The ADP National Employment Report is produced by the ADP Research Institute® in collaboration with Moody’s Analytics.
Private Residential Spending Increases 24.3% Year-Over-Year in August
A deeper analysis of the U.S. Census Construction Spending data, provided by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), reveals that total private residential construction spending rose 0.4% in August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of $786.6 billion. Year-over-year total private residential spending was 24.3% higher.
Borrowers Exiting Forbearance Continued to Increase in the Week Ending September 26, 2021
The latest Mortgage Banker Association’s (MBA) Forbearance and Call Survey reports that the total number of loans now in forbearance decreased by 7 basis points from 2.96% of servicers’ portfolio volume in the prior week to 2.89% as of September 26, 2021. According to MBA’s estimate, 1.4 million homeowners are in forbearance plans.
Canadian Building Permits Decline in August
Statistics Canada (StatsCan) is reported today (10-4-21) that the nationwide total of building permits decreased -2.1% month-over-month in August to $9.7 billion (CAD). The report notes that while most of the provinces reported increases in building permits, significant declines in British Columbia and Ontario resulted in the lower month-over-month loss.
Smith Leonard Reports Residential Furniture Sales Declined -11% Year-Over-Year in July
Smith Leonard’s latest Monthly Furniture Insight® survey of residential furniture manufacturers and distributors reported that for the first time since June 2020, new orders in July 2021 were down compared to the same month of 2020. New orders were down -11% compared to July 2020.
Analysis of Q2 2021 Real GDP at State-Level Released
According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), with analysis provided by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), real gross domestic product (GDP) increased in all 50 states and the District of Columbian in Q2 of 2021, when compared with Q1 of 2021. The increases in real GDP ranged from 9.7% in Nevada to 1.8% in Alaska.
Construction Spending in August Up 8.9% Year-Over-Year — Virtually Unchanged Month-Over-Month
The U.S. Census Bureau has announced that total construction spending during August 2021 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR) of $1,584.1 billion, virtually unchanged from the revised July estimate of $1,584.0 billion. The August figure is 8.9% above the August 2020 estimate of $1,455.0 billion.
Canadian GDP Edges Lower in July 2021
Statistics Canada (StatsCan) reported today (10-1-21) the real gross domestic product (GDP) in Canada edged lower -0.1% in July. This follows a 0.6% increase in June. Total economic activity in July was approximately -2% below the pre-pandemic level of February 2020.
University of Michigan Final Consumer Sentiment Index Increases for September 2021
The University of Michigan today (Friday 10-1-21), released its Final Consumer Sentiment Index (CSI) for September. The Index of Consumer Sentiment increased to a reading of 72.8 in September, up from 70.3 in August — a month-over-month increase +3.6% but -9.5% decrease year-over-year (80.4 in September 2020).