According to Statistics Canada (StatCan) real gross domestic product (GDP) contracted -0.3% in April. Ending 11 consecutive months of increases. With the first decline in 12 months, total economic activity remains about -1% below the level prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which started in February 2020.
Wood Markets News
Pending Home Sales Jump 8.0% in May – Up 13.1% Year-Over-Year
The National Association of Realtors® (NAR) is reporting that their Pending Homes Sales Index (PHSI), which is based on signed real estate contracts, not actual closings, for existing single-family homes, condos, and co-ops, increased 8.0% to a reading of 114.7 in May.
ADP Reports Private Sector Employment Increased by 692,000 Jobs in June
According to the June ADP® National Employment Report™, nonfarm private sector employment private sector employment increased by 692,000 jobs from May to June.
Mortgage Applications Drop -6.9% in the Week Ending June 25th, 2021
According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Application Survey, for the week ending June 25th, 2021, the Market Composite Index , a measure of mortgage loan application volume decreased -6.9% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier.
Upgrades to their Monterra Lumber Facility Helps Weston Forest Increase Mill Production
As demand for lumber products rose dramatically in the summer last year, Weston Forest began looking for additional production capacity to add to their existing business.
Junnikkala Announces Plans to Build New State-of-the-Art Sawmill in Oulu Finland
Increasing demand for high-quality and sustainable timber products in the construction industry on a global scale, combined with the positive development of the sawmill industry, has provided an opportunity for Junnikkala to make 70 million Euro investment in the construction of a modern sawmill in Oulu Finland.
The Conference Board Reports Consumer Confidence Continued to Improve in June 2021
The Conference Board, a non-partisan, not-for-profit think tank, which was founded in 1916, released today (6-29-21) their Consumer Confidence Index® (CCI) for June 2021. The CCI improved further in June, following gains in each of the previous four months.
Home Prices in April Surge 14.6% Annually in New S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller Home Price Index
According to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, which covers all nine U.S. Census divisions, home prices experienced a 14.6% annual gain in April 2021, up from 13.3% in March. The 10-City Composite annual increase came in at 14.4%, up from 12.9% in the previous month.
Federal Housing Finance Agency Reports U.S. Home Prices Increase 1.8% Month-Over-Month and 15.7% Year-Over-Year in April 2021
According to the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI®) U.S. house prices increased 15.7% from April 2020 to April 2021. FHFA’s seasonally adjusted monthly index for April 2021, was up 1.8% from March 2021 upwardly revised 1.6% increase.
Shares of Mortgages in Forbearance Decline for 17th Week in a Row in Week Ending June 20th, 2021
The latest Mortgage Banker Association’s (MBA) Forbearance and Call Survey reports that the total number of loans now in forbearance decreased by 2 basis points from 3.93% of servicers’ portfolio volume in the prior week to 3.91% as of June 20, 2021.