Haver Analytics
Haver Analytics
Global| Nov 27 2019

U.S. Pending Home Sales Down Slightly

Summary

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that U.S. pending home sales rose 1.5% (3.9% y/y) during September (Index 108.7 in Sept)....... The pending home sales index measures sales at the time the contract for the sale of [...]


The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported that U.S. pending home sales rose 1.5% (3.9% y/y) during September (Index 108.7 in Sept).......

The pending home sales index measures sales at the time the contract for the sale of an existing home 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, which is a month or two later. Accordingly, in developing the pending home sales index, the NAR found that the level of monthly sales contract activity precedes the level of closed existing home sales by one to two months. The series dates back to 2001, and the data are available in Haver's PREALTOR database. Mortgage interest rates from the Mortgage Bankers Association can be found in the SURVEYW database.

Pending Home Sales (SA, 2001=100) Oct Sep Aug Oct Y/Y % 2018 2017 2016
Total 108.7 107.1 105.6 3.9 104.7 109.1 109.8
   Northeast 93.9 94.3 93.0 1.3 92.4 97.1 96.4
   Midwest 104.4 101.3 101.1 2.7 100.2 104.9 107.4
   South 127.5 124.3 122.7 5.7 121.6 123.9 123.0
   West 95.1 96.4 93.5 3.4 92.3 99.5 102.3
  • Carol Stone, CBE came to Haver Analytics in 2003 following more than 35 years as a financial market economist at major Wall Street financial institutions, most especially Merrill Lynch and Nomura Securities. She has broad experience in analysis and forecasting of flow-of-funds accounts, the federal budget and Federal Reserve operations. At Nomura Securites, among other duties, she developed various indicator forecasting tools and edited a daily global publication produced in London and New York for readers in Tokyo.   At Haver Analytics, Carol is a member of the Research Department, aiding database managers with research and documentation efforts, as well as posting commentary on select economic reports. In addition, she conducts Ways-of-the-World, a blog on economic issues for an Episcopal-Church-affiliated website, The Geranium Farm.   During her career, Carol served as an officer of the Money Marketeers and the Downtown Economists Club. She has a PhD from NYU's Stern School of Business. She lives in Brooklyn, New York, and has a weekend home on Long Island.

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