- Total applications increased 2.0%.
- Loans to purchase a house rose 4.5% while refinance loans fell 2.0%.
- Mortgage interest rates resumed their uptrend.
Introducing
Sandy Batten
in:Our Authors
Sandy Batten has more than 30 years of experience analyzing industrial economies and financial markets and a wide range of experience across the financial services sector, government, and academia. Before joining Haver Analytics, Sandy was a Vice President and Senior Economist at Citibank; Senior Credit Market Analyst at CDC Investment Management, Managing Director at Bear Stearns, and Executive Director at JPMorgan. In 2008, Sandy was named the most accurate US forecaster by the National Association for Business Economics. He is a member of the New York Forecasters Club, NABE, and the American Economic Association. Prior to his time in the financial services sector, Sandy was a Research Officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, Senior Staff Economist on the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Policy at the US Treasury, and Economist at the International Monetary Fund. Sandy has taught economics at St. Louis University, Denison University, and Muskingun College. He has published numerous peer-reviewed articles in a wide range of academic publications. He has a B.A. in economics from the University of Richmond and a M.A. and Ph.D. in economics from The Ohio State University.

Publications by Sandy Batten
- USA| May 11 2022
U.S. Mortgage Applications Rose for Second Week
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- USA| May 06 2022
Another Record Monthly Increase in U.S. Consumer Credit
- Led by record increase in revolving credit balances.
- Rise in nonrevolving credit usage slowed slightly.
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- USA| May 05 2022
U.S. Unemployment Claims Increased in Latest Week
- Initial claims rose 19,000 to 200,000.
- Continued weeks claimed fell further to lowest since January 1970.
- Insured unemployment rate retained record low of 1.0%.
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- USA| Apr 28 2022
FRB Kansas City Manufacturing Index Slips But Remains Elevated
- April decline led by orders and shipments.
- Expected conditions also fell, for the first time in four months.
- Inflation indicators continued to rise.
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- USA| Apr 28 2022
U.S. Unemployment Claims Fall
- Initial claims fell 5,000 to 180,000.
- Continued weeks claimed also eased to lowest in more than 50 years.
- Insured unemployment rate retained record low of 1.0%.
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- USA| Apr 27 2022
U.S. Mortgage Applications Fall for Seventh Straight Week
- Largest weekly decline since mid-February.
- Meaningful declines in both purchase and refinancing applications.
- Mortgage interest rates post significant weekly increases with 30-year rate rising to highest since mid-2009.
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- USA| Apr 14 2022
U.S. Initial Unemployment Claims Rose in Most Recent Week
- Despite weekly increase, claims still around 50-year low.
- Continued weeks claimed edged down to lowest level since March 1970.
- Insured unemployment rate holds at record low.
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- USA| Apr 13 2022
U.S. Mortgage Applications Declined for Fifth Consecutive Week
- Lowest level for total applications since March 2019.
- Sharp decline in refinancing applications continued; purchase applications rose.
- Rise in mortgage interest rates accelerated.
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- USA| Apr 12 2022
U.S. Small Business Optimism Declines for Third Month
- Optimism fell to lowest level since April 2020.
- Expectations of better business conditions in next six month plummeted to all-time low.
- Inflation overtook labor quality as top concern.
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- USA| Mar 30 2022
U.S. Q4 GDP Growth Revised Down Slightly in Third Estimate
- Inventories made even larger contribution than in first two estimates.
- Domestic demand growth revised down. Corporate profit growth slowed.
- Price inflation unrevised at 40-year high.
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- USA| Mar 24 2022
U.S. Current Account Deficit Narrowed Slightly in Q4
- Third largest quarterly deficit on record.
- Goods deficit widened to another record; services surplus widened slightly.
- Largest annual deficit in 2021 on record.
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
- USA| Mar 17 2022
U.S. Philly Fed Index Surprises to Upside in March
- Broad-based increases in component indexes.
- Delivery times index surges after three monthly declines.
- Prices paid rise to highest since 1979.
by:Sandy Batten
|in:Economy in Brief
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