News in end use

Dodge Construction Network reports that total construction starts rose 6% in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1.13 trillion.

According to MSCI Real Capital Analytics, nearly 1,040 apartment properties changed hands at a value of $20.6 billion in Q1.

During the four-week period ending May 19th, the median US home-sale price hit a record $387,600, Redfin reported.

The CHI reveals that a typical family must spend 38% of its income to cover the mortgage payment on a median priced new single-family home.

The University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment declined to 69.1 in May, a month-over-month decline of 10.5% but up 17.1% year-over-year.

New residential single-family home sales for April were at a SAAR of 634,000, 4.7% below the revised March rate.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.94%, down from last week when it averaged 7.02%, Freddie Mac reported.

The New Housing Price Index (NHPI) increased 0.2% monthly in April, led by higher prices in large urban centers.

The advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 215,000, a decrease of 8,000 from the previous week.

470,000 Canadians received regular Employment Insurance (EI) benefits in March, up 0.1%, or 400, from February’s level.