Global| Feb 25 2016U.S. FHFA Home Price Index Increases Steadily
by:Tom Moeller
|in:Economy in Brief
Summary
The U.S. House Price Index from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) increased 0.4% during December following a 0.6% November gain, revised from 0.5%. For all of 2015, prices increased a steady 5.7%. During the last three months, [...]
The U.S. House Price Index from the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) increased 0.4% during December following a 0.6% November gain, revised from 0.5%. For all of 2015, prices increased a steady 5.7%. During the last three months, prices rose at a 6.1% rate.
Prices were strongest during the last twelve months in the Pacific region where they rose 7.7%, 8.9% in the last three months. The rise was followed by a 7.1% increase in the Mountain states, but the rate cooled in the last three monts. Prices rose 6.9% in the East South Central region, but they jumped 11.6% recently. There was steady 6.6% y/y growth in the South Atlantic area.
Home prices rose between 4.0% and 6.0% from the West South central states to New England, but they gained only a steady 2.6% in the Middle Atlantic states.
The FHFA house price index is a weighted repeat sales index. It measures average price changes in repeat sales of the same property. An associated quarterly index also includes refinancings on the same kinds of properties. The indexes are based on transactions involving conforming, conventional mortgages purchased or securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Only mortgage transactions on single-family properties are included. The FHFA data are available in Haver's USECON database.
| FHFA U.S. House Price Index, Purchase Only (SA %) | Dec | Nov | Oct | Dec Y/Y | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 5.7 | 5.7 | 5.6 | 7.5 |
| Pacific | 0.3 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 9.6 | 16.1 |
| Mountain | -1.6 | 2.0 | 0.7 | 7.1 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 12.3 |
| East South Central | 1.9 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 6.9 | 4.9 | 3.6 | 4.2 |
| South Atlantic | 0.5 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 6.6 | 6.5 | 6.0 | 8.1 |
| West South Central | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 5.8 | 6.5 | 5.8 | 6.2 |
| West North Central | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 4.1 | 4.9 |
| East North Central | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 4.7 | 5.4 |
| New England | 1.0 | 0.2 | -0.7 | 4.1 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.9 |
| Middle Atlantic | 0.8 | -0.1 | -0.0 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.4 | 2.8 |
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Tom Moeller
AuthorMore in Author Profile »Prior to joining Haver Analytics in 2000, Mr. Moeller worked as the Economist at Chancellor Capital Management from 1985 to 1999. There, he developed comprehensive economic forecasts and interpreted economic data for equity and fixed income portfolio managers. Also at Chancellor, Mr. Moeller worked as an equity analyst and was responsible for researching and rating companies in the economically sensitive automobile and housing industries for investment in Chancellor’s equity portfolio. Prior to joining Chancellor, Mr. Moeller was an Economist at Citibank from 1979 to 1984. He also analyzed pricing behavior in the metals industry for the Council on Wage and Price Stability in Washington, D.C. In 1999, Mr. Moeller received the award for most accurate forecast from the Forecasters' Club of New York. From 1990 to 1992 he was President of the New York Association for Business Economists. Mr. Moeller earned an M.B.A. in Finance from Fordham University, where he graduated in 1987. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from George Washington University.
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