by Calculated Risk on 10/02/2024 07:00:00 AM

From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey

Mortgage applications decreased 1.3 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending September 27, 2024.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 1.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 1 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 3 percent from the previous week and was 186 percent higher than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index increased 1 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index increased 1 percent compared with the previous week and was 9 percent higher than the same week one year ago.

“Last week’s incoming data showed an economy that is still growing at a solid pace, even as inflation continues to decline. As a result, mortgage rates were up modestly, with the 30-year fixed mortgage rate increasing slightly to 6.14 percent,” said Mike Fratantoni, MBA’s SVP and Chief Economist. With this move, refinance application volume declined on the week but remains almost three-times as high as last year’s pace.”

Added Fratantoni, “The news for the week was that more homebuyers appear to be entering the market. Purchase application activity was up for the week and increased more than 9 percent compared to last year at this time. Inventories of both new and existing homes have been increasing over the course of 2024, meaning that potential buyers have properties to look at and now have somewhat lower mortgage rates leading to better affordability.”
...
The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($766,550 or less) increased to 6.14 percent from 6.13 percent, with points increasing to 0.61 from 0.57 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans.
emphasis added

Click on graph for larger image.

The first graph shows the MBA mortgage purchase index.

According to the MBA, purchase activity is up 9% year-over-year unadjusted. 

Red is a four-week average (blue is weekly).  

Purchase application activity is up about 19% from the lows in late October 2023, but still about 1% below the lowest levels during the housing bust.  

The second graph shows the refinance index since 1990.

With higher mortgage rates, the refinance index declined sharply in 2022 - and mostly flat lined for two years - but has increased significantly recently as mortgage rates declined.

by Calculated Risk on 10/01/2024 09:37:00 PM

Note: Mortgage rates are from MortgageNewsDaily.com and are for top tier scenarios.

Wednesday:
• At 7:00 AM ET, The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) will release the results for the mortgage purchase applications index.

• At 8:15 AM, The ADP Employment Report for September. This report is for private payrolls only (no government). The consensus is for 110,000 jobs added, up from 99,000 in August.

by Calculated Risk on 10/01/2024 05:00:00 PM

Wards Auto released their estimate of light vehicle sales for September: September U.S. Light-Vehicle Sales up Slightly on SAAR basis; Q3 Volume Down 1.9% (pay site).

Sales over the past six months have been mostly in negative territory even though inventory continued to rise. Affordability and a slowdown in fleet orders have been the bane to growth. September saw the continuation of gains in the most affordable segments, but it was more than offset by weakness among higher priced vehicles – a theme of the past two quarters. (Hurricane Helene also slightly dampened deliveries in September.) Despite downturns in Q2 and Q3 of 0.5% and 1.9%, respectively, Q1’s strong 4.9% increase was enough to keep year-to-date volume through September above the year-ago total, albeit less than 1%.

Click on graph for larger image.

This graph shows light vehicle sales since 2006 from the BEA (blue) and Wards' estimate for August (red).

Sales in September (15.77 million SAAR) were up 3.7% from August, and up 0.5% from September 2023.

Sales in August were slightly above the consensus forecast.

The second graph shows light vehicle sales since the BEA started keeping data in 1967.

by Calculated Risk on 10/01/2024 12:44:00 PM

From the Census Bureau reported that overall construction spending decreased:

Construction spending during August 2024 was estimated at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,131.9 billion, 0.1 percent below the revised July estimate of $2,133.9 billion. The August figure is 4.1 percent above the August 2023 estimate of $2,047.4 billion.
emphasis added

Private spending decreased and public spending increased:

Spending on private construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $1,642.2 billion, 0.2 percent below the revised July estimate of $1,645.8 billion. ...

In August, the estimated seasonally adjusted annual rate of public construction spending was $489.8 billion, 0.3 percent above the revised July estimate of $488.2 billion.

Click on graph for larger image.

This graph shows private residential and nonresidential construction spending, and public spending, since 1993. Note: nominal dollars, not inflation adjusted.

Residential (red) spending is 8.2% below the peak in 2022.

Non-residential (blue) spending is 0.5% below the peak in June 2024.

Public construction spending at the peak.

The second graph shows the year-over-year change in construction spending.

On a year-over-year basis, private residential construction spending is up 2.7%. Non-residential spending is up 3.6% year-over-year. Public spending is up 7.8% year-over-year.

This was below consensus expectations for 0.1% increase in spending. 

by Calculated Risk on 10/01/2024 10:01:00 AM

From the BLS: Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary

The number of job openings was little changed at 8.0 million on the last business day of August, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today. Over the month, hires changed little at 5.3 million. Total separations changed little at 5.0 million. Within separations, quits (3.1 million) continued to trend down and layoffs and discharges (1.6 million) changed little.
emphasis added

The following graph shows job openings (black line), hires (dark blue), Layoff, Discharges and other (red column), and Quits (light blue column) from the JOLTS.

This series started in December 2000.

Note: The difference between JOLTS hires and separations is similar to the CES (payroll survey) net jobs headline numbers. This report is for August; the employment report this Friday will be for September.

Click on graph for larger image.

Note that hires (dark blue) and total separations (red and light blue columns stacked) are usually pretty close each month. This is a measure of labor market turnover.  When the blue line is above the two stacked columns, the economy is adding net jobs - when it is below the columns, the economy is losing jobs.

The spike in layoffs and discharges in March 2020 is labeled, but off the chart to better show the usual data.

Jobs openings increased in August to 8.04 million from 7.71 million in July.

The number of job openings (black) were down 14% year-over-year. 

Quits were down 14% year-over-year. These are voluntary separations. (See light blue columns at bottom of graph for trend for "quits").

by Calculated Risk on 10/01/2024 10:00:00 AM

(Posted with permission). The ISM manufacturing index indicated expansion. The PMI® was at 47.2% in September, unchanged from 47.2% in August. The employment index was at 43.9%, down from 46.0% the previous month, and the new orders index was at 46.1%, up from 44.6%.

From ISM: Manufacturing PMI® at 47.2% September 2024 Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector contracted in September for the sixth consecutive month and the 22nd time in the last 23 months, say the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM® Report On Business®.

The report was issued today by Timothy R. Fiore, CPSM, C.P.M., Chair of the Institute for Supply Management® (ISM®) Manufacturing Business Survey Committee:

“The Manufacturing PMI® registered 47.2 percent in September, matching the figure recorded in August. The overall economy continued in expansion for the 53rd month after one month of contraction in April 2020. (A Manufacturing PMI® above 42.5 percent, over a period of time, generally indicates an expansion of the overall economy.) The New Orders Index remained in contraction territory, registering 46.1 percent, 1.5 percentage points higher than the 44.6 percent recorded in August. The September reading of the Production Index (49.8 percent) is 5 percentage points higher than August’s figure of 44.8 percent. The Prices Index went into contraction (or ‘decreasing’) territory for the first time this year, registering 48.3 percent, down 5.7 percentage points compared to the reading of 54 percent in August. The Backlog of Orders Index registered 44.1 percent, up 0.5 percentage point compared to the 43.6 percent recorded in August. The Employment Index registered 43.9 percent, down 2.1 percentage points from August’s figure of 46 percent.
emphasis added

This suggests manufacturing contracted in September.  This was slightly below the consensus forecast.

by Calculated Risk on 9/30/2024 07:11:00 PM

From Matthew Graham at Mortgage News Daily: Mortgage Rates Moderately Higher to Begin The Week

Mortgage rates have generally been moving higher since the Fed cut rates 2 weeks ago. ... While today's weakness can't be reduced to a single factor, the primary motivation was a speech from Fed Chair Powell in which he reminded the market that the Fed was not in a hurry to cut rates. The message wasn't that different from the press conference that followed the Fed rate cut 2 weeks ago, but some market participants were perhaps hoping to see a softer side of Powell. [30 year fixed 6.24%]
emphasis added

Tuesday:
• At 10:00 AM ET, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey for August from the BLS.

• Also at 10:00 AM, ISM Manufacturing Index for September. The consensus is for a reading of 47.6, up from 47.2 in August. 

• Also at 10:00 AM, Construction Spending for August. The consensus is for a 0.1% increase.

• All day, Light vehicle sales for September. The consensus is for sales of 15.7 million SAAR, up from 15.1 million SAAR in August (Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate).

by Calculated Risk on 9/30/2024 02:17:00 PM

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Freddie Mac House Price Index Increased Slightly in August; Up 3.7% Year-over-year

A brief excerpt:

Freddie Mac reported that its “National” Home Price Index (FMHPI) increased 0.11% month-over-month on a seasonally adjusted (SA) basis in August. On a year-over-year basis, the National FMHPI was up 3.7% in August, down from up 4.5% YoY in July.  The YoY increase peaked at 19.1% in July 2021, and for this cycle, bottomed at up 0.9% YoY in May 2023. ...

Over the last 6 months, the seasonal adjusted index has increased at a 1.5% annual rate
...
As of August, 15 states and D.C. were below their previous peaks, Seasonally Adjusted. The largest seasonally adjusted declines from the recent peak were in Louisiana (-2.5%), Arkansas (-2.1%), D.C. (-2.0), Florida (-1.9%), Texas (-1.5%), and Idaho (-1.1%).

For cities (Core-based Statistical Areas, CBSA), here are the 30 cities with the largest declines from the peak, seasonally adjusted. Austin continues to be the worst performing city. However, 11 of the 30 worst performing cities are now in Florida!

There is much more in the article.

by Calculated Risk on 9/30/2024 01:56:00 PM

From Fed Chair Powell: Economic Outlook (Watch here on YouTube). Excerpt:

Our economy is strong overall and has made significant progress over the past two years toward achieving our dual-mandate goals of maximum employment and stable prices. Labor market conditions are solid, having cooled from their previously overheated state. Inflation has eased, and my Federal Open Market Committee colleagues and I have greater confidence that it is on a sustainable path to 2 percent. At our meeting earlier this month, we reduced the level of policy restraint by lowering the target range of the federal funds rate by 1/2 percentage point. That decision reflects our growing confidence that, with an appropriate recalibration of our policy stance, strength in the labor market can be maintained in an environment of moderate economic growth and inflation moving sustainably down to our objective.

by Calculated Risk on 9/30/2024 10:31:00 AM

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Final Look at Local Housing Markets in August and a Look Ahead to September Sales

A brief excerpt:

After the National Association of Realtors® (NAR) releases the monthly existing home sales report, I pick up additional local market data that is reported after the NAR. This is the final look at local markets in August.

The big story for August was that existing home sales decreased to 3.86 million on a seasonally adjusted annual rate basis (SAAR) - just above the cycle low of 3.85 million SAAR in October 2023 - and the 36th consecutive month with a year-over-year decline.
...
In August, sales in these markets were down 4.5% YoY. The NAR reported sales were down 5.7% year-over-year NSA in August.

Sales in all of these markets are down compared to August 2019.

This was a year-over-year decrease NSA for these markets. However, there was one fewer working day in August 2024 compared to August 2023 (22 vs 23), so seasonally adjusted sales were down less than NSA sales.

September sales will be mostly for contracts signed in July and August, and mortgage rates decreased to an average of 6.50% in August, down from 6.85% in July. My early expectation is we will see existing home sales up year-over-year in September - for the first time in over 3 years!

There is much more in the article.