News in end use

The National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Optimism Index declined 2.0 points to a reading of 89.9 in January.

The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on 1–4-unit residential properties increased to a seasonally adjusted rate of 3.88% of all loans outstanding at the end of Q4, the MBA reported.

Lending standards loosened for all commercial real estate loan and residential real estate categories in Q4, an NAHB review of the Fed’s Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey shows.

The median US asking rent rose 1.1% year-over-year to $1,964 in January, the largest annual increase since March 2023, Redfin reported.

The Mortgage Bankers Association’s Mortgage Credit Availability Index (MCAI) increased 0.7% to a reading of 92.7 in January.

Employment in Canada increased by 37,000 in January, following three consecutive months with little change.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.64%, up from last week when it averaged 6.63%, Freddie Mac reported.

The advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial unemployment claims was 218,000, a decrease of 9,000 from the previous week’s revised level.

In 2023Q4, just 37.7% of all new and existing homes sold were affordable to families earning the US median income of $96,300, NAHB reported.