BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 5/31/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 5/31/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• Consumer confidence withstands Boston bombing
• Chicago PMI surges in May to highest reading since March 2012
• Personal income and savings rate flat in April as price index declines by 0.3%

Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

May column for Builder & Developer magazine now online

My column for the May issue of Builder & Developer magazine is now posted online.

For this issue, entitled "The Housing Market Roars," I reviewed the strength of the housing market and if the rebound is sustainable.  An excerpt:

By almost any measure – and as noted regularly in BuilderBytes’ MetroIntelligence Economic Update -- the housing market is not only on the mend, but rebounding much faster than most economists and housing analysts predicted. Not only did the median price for existing homes rise by nearly 10 percent nationally over the past year, but they continued rising during the seasonally slow winter months, and already show signs of gaining altitude as the spring buying season continues. 

Meanwhile, a combination of reduced new home construction, fewer foreclosures, investors paying cash for homes to rent out and owners still sitting on underwater homes means inventory levels that have fallen to 12-year lows. So is the current scenario just an economic blip, or have we finally launched into a sustained rebound that will last? 

To read the entire column, click here.

To read the entire May 2013 issue in digital format, click here.

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 5/17/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 5/17/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• Builder confidence improves in May
• Producer Price Index declines 0.7% in April
• Conditions in Empire State Manufacturing Survey declined marginally in March

Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 5/15/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 5/15/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicator:

• Retail sales unexpectedly rose in April after drop in March
• Business inventories mostly flat in March as durable goods sales falter

Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 5/12/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 5/12/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicator:

• Consumer borrowing climbed less than expected in March

Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 5/10/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 5/10/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• Initial unemployment claims dip by 4,000 in latest report
• Durable goods orders in March down 1.6% from February but up 1.3% from March 2012
• Mortgage applications rise 7.0% in latest survey

Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 5/8/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 5/8/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicator:

• Service economy growth slowed slightly in April
• Manufacturing sector growth dipped slightly in April but still up for 5th straight month
• U.S. trade deficit declined sharply in March as imports fall more than exports
• Chicago PMI fell to 3.5-year low in April

Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 5/6/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 5/6/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicator:

• Employment rose by 165,000 jobs in April; previous months' totals also revised upwards
• Productivity rose by 0.7% in 1Q 2013; labor costs rose by 0.5%
• Mortgage applications rose by 1.8% in latest survey

Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 5/3/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 5/3/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• March construction spending dipped 1.7% from February to $856.7 billion
• Private sector jobs grew by 119,000 positions from March to April
• Planned job cuts fell to their lowest level since December during April
• Initial unemployment claims fall by 18,000 in latest report
• FOMC decides to keep interest rates low and maintain bond purchases

Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 5/1/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 5/1/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicator:

• S&P/Case-Shiller Indices rose by high single digits for year ending in February 2013
• Pending home sales rise slowed in March
• Consumer spending rose in March even as incomes rose less than expected
• Consumer confidence rebounded in April after dipping in March

Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 4/29/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 4/29/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• Durable goods orders fall for second consecutive month
• Consumer sentiment eased in April due to concerns about jobs and finances
• First Quarter 2013 GDP rose by 2.5% in first estimate

Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 4/24/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 4/24/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicator:

• New home sales in March rise by 1.5% to annual rate of 417,000
• Existing home sales dip slightly in March due to constraints on listed inventory
• FHFA House Price Index rises by 7.1% over the past year

Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

Want to make sure your company or event is included in the events calendar? Contact editor Evan Lancaster at elancaster@penpubinc.com.

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 4/22/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 4/22/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicator:

• Empire State Manufacturing Survey improves slightly in April
• Mortgage applications rise by 4.8% in latest survey

Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.

Want to make sure your company or event is included in the events calendar? Contact editor Evan Lancaster at elancaster@penpubinc.com.

April column for Builder & Developer magazine now online

My column for the April issue of Builder & Developer magazine is now posted online.

For this issue, entitled "In Search of a Great Market Study," I reviewed the lessons I've learned working as a consultant as well as for a public home builder with projects in multiple markets and a private land developer with holdings throughout the western U.S. An excerpt:

With the positive news regarding the housing market continuing to pile up over the past year, we’re also starting to see a rebound in the demand for more traditional market studies for new or re-energized projects by builders, developers and investors. Yet because almost anyone can call themselves a new home market research consultant — requiring little more than business cards, a decent Web site and attending various networking events — like with any other product or service, the term ‘buyer beware’ is certainly relevant.

Following is a list of three questions I made sure to ask when working for a home builder and in the position to hire such firms: 

To read the entire column, click here.

To read the entire April 2013 issue in digital format, click here.

BuilderBytes' MetroIntelligence Economic Update for 4/19/13

Please click here to see the edition of BuilderBytes for 4/19/13 on the Web.

In this issue of the MetroIntelligence Economic Update, I covered the following indicators:

• Leading Economic Index dips in March as growth slows
• Initial unemployment claims rise by 4,000 in latest report
• Philadelphia Fed's Business Outlook Survey remains steady in April

Want to advertise in the newsletter and reach over 130,000 readers? Contact National Sales Manager Nick Cosan at nkosan@penpubinc.com.