Consumer confidence improved for the third straight month, according to the Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index. The Index now stands at 81.4, up from 74.3 in May, bringing it to its highest level since January 2008 (Index 87.3). “Consumers are …
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Builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes surged eight points in June to a reading of 52 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released today. Any reading higher than 50 indicates more …
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Nationwide housing starts rose 6.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 914,000 units in May due primarily to increased production of multi-family homes, according to released data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the …
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May retail sales (excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants) increased 0.6 percent seasonally adjusted from April and increased a strong 4.8 percent unadjusted year-over-year, according to data released by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The National Retail Federation attributes the …
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Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in May by 175,000, and the unemployment rate increased slightly to 7.6 percent, up from 7.5 percent in April, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. Over the year, the labor force participation rate has …
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Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes improved three points to a 44 reading on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for May. This gain, from a downwardly revised 41 in April, …
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The U.S. Senate recently voted 69 to 27 to approve a bill to allow states to collect taxes from online sellers that make $1 million or more in gross sales annually. The Marketplace Fairness Act of 2013 will now move …
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Total nonfarm payroll employment rose in April by 165,000, and the unemployment rate was little changed at 7.5 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The unemployment rate changed little in April but has declined by 0.4 percentage point …
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