Recent Updates
- US: Wholesale Trade (Feb), Producer Prices (Mar)
- US: Producer Price Indexes by Commodity Detail (Mar)
- US: Producer Price Indexes by Industry Detail (Mar)
- Canada: Investment in Building Construction (Feb), Labor Force Survey (Mar)
- more updates...
Economy in Brief
U.S. Wholesale Inventories Post Strong February Gain; Sales Fall
Wholesale inventories increased 0.6% (2.0% y/y) during February...
U.S. Initial Unemployment Insurance Claims Unexpectedly Increase
Initial claims for unemployment insurance rose to 744,000 during the week ended April 3...
Total PMIs Gain Traction in March
The PMI readings for March show improvement again...
U.S. Consumer Credit Outstanding Bounces Back in February
Consumer credit outstanding surged $27.6 billion during February...
U.S. Trade Deficit Widens to Record during February
The U.S. trade deficit in goods and services widened to $71.1 during February...
Viewpoints
Commentaries are the opinions of the author and do not reflect the views of Haver Analytics.
by Tom Moeller March 28, 2018
The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that pending home sales increased 3.1% (-4.1% y/y) in February to an index level of 107.5 (2001=100). The gain followed a downwardly revised 5.0% January decline. Winter storms and a low supply of homes on the market were indicated by the NAR as holding down recent sales.
Pending sales improved in each region of the country, led by a 10.3% rise (-5.1% y/y) in the Northeast following a 9.0% fall. Sales in the South increased 3.0% (-1.5% y/y) after a 3.8% decline. Sales in the Midwest improved 0.7% (-9.5% y/y) after a 6.6% shortfall, while sales in the West rose 0.4% (-2.2% y/y) after a 2.6% decline.
The pending home sales index measures home sales when the sales contract is signed, analogous to the Census Bureau's new home sales data. In contrast, the National Association of Realtors' existing home sales data are recorded when the sale is closed. In developing the pending home sales index, the NAR found that the level of monthly sales contract activity parallels the level of closed existing home sales in the following two months. The series dates back to 2001, and the data are available in Haver's PREALTOR database. United States Population Weighted Heating and Cooling Degree Days dates back to 1949 and can be found in the USECON database.
Pending Home Sales (SA, 2001=100) | Feb | Jan | Dec | Feb Y/Y % | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Total | 107.5 | 104.3 | 109.8 | -4.1 | 109.0 | 109.8 | 108.8 |
Northeast | 96.0 | 87.0 | 95.6 | -5.1 | 97.2 | 96.4 | 90.8 |
Midwest | 98.9 | 98.2 | 105.1 | -9.5 | 104.8 | 107.4 | 107.1 |
South | 125.7 | 122.0 | 126.8 | -1.5 | 123.8 | 122.9 | 123.1 |
West | 96.9 | 96.5 | 99.1 | -2.2 | 99.6 | 102.4 | 102.2 |