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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 February 14, 2020
The National Association of Realtors reported that its Fixed Rate Mortgage Housing Affordability Index fell 1.2% m/m (+10.4% y/y) to 161.8 in December from 163.7 in November. It was the lowest level of affordability since August and remained well below the all-time high of 213.3 reached in January 2013.
In December, monthly principal and interest payments increased to $1,030 from $1,016 in November.
and rose to 15.5% of income. The median sales price increased 8.0% y/y to $277,000. Median family income continued to increase, rising to $79,970, up 3.3% y/y. The effective mortgage interest rate edged up three basis points to 3.78% in December, but remained below the 4.99% recorded in November of 2018.
The Housing Affordability Index equals 100 when median family income qualifies for an 80% mortgage on a median-priced existing single-family home. A rising index indicates an increasing number of buyers can qualify for a mortgage to purchase the median-priced home. Data on Home Affordability can be found in Haver's REALTOR database. Interest rate data can be found in the WEEKLY and DAILY databases.
| Housing Affordability | Dec | Nov | Oct | Dec Y/Y | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed Rate Housing Affordability Index | 161.8 | 163.7 | 163.3 | 10.4% | 157.4 | 147.8 | 159.1 |
| Payment as a Percent of Income | 15.5 | 15.3 | 15.3 | 17.1 | 15.9 | 16.9 | 15.7 |
| Principal and Interest Payment | $1,030 | $1,016 | $1,013 | 8.0% | $1.044 | $1,079 | $967 |
| Median Sales Price (Existing Single Family Home) | $277,000 | $274,100 | $273,800 | $256,400 | $272,333 | $259,458 | $247,508 |
| Monthly Fixed Mortgage Rate | 3.78% | 3.75% | 3.74% | 4.99% | 4.04% | 4.72% | 4.20% |
| Median Family Income | $79,970 | $79,824 | $79,425 | 3.3% | 3.2% | $3.4% | 4.0% |
