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Economy in Brief
U.S. Consumer Credit Outstanding Declines in January
Consumers reduced credit balances further in January...
U.S. Trade Deficit Widens to $68.2 Billion in January
The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services widened to $68.2 billion in January...
German Order Growth Gets Back in Gear Despite the Headwinds
German order growth is back in gear with total orders rising by 1.4% m/m in January...
U.S. Factory Orders & Shipments Rise Again in January
Manufacturing activity is strengthening. Factory orders rose 2.6% (2.8% y/y) in January...
U.S. Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims Rise Just 9,000
Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose modestly by 9,000 to 745,000 in the week ended February 27...
Viewpoints
Commentaries are the opinions of the author and do not reflect the views of Haver Analytics.
by Tom Moeller November 17, 2005
The National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Composite Housing Market Index fell a hard 11.8% in November to 60, the lowest level since May 2003.
During the last twenty years the y/y change in the annual composite index has had an 85% correlation with the change in single family housing starts and there has been a 75% correlation between the current sales index and new single family home sales.
The m/m drop reflected sharp declines throughout the country.
The index for current sales of single family homes in November fell sharply to the lowest level since May 2003. The index for sales in six months also fell hard the lowest in over two years.
The NAHB index is a diffusion index based on a survey of builders. Readings above 50 signal that more builders view conditions as good than poor.
Visit the National Association of Home Builders.
Nat'l Association of Home Builders | Nov | Oct | Nov '04 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Composite Housing Market Index | 60 | 68 | 70 | 68 | 64 | 61 |