Tag Archives: economy

The number of housing starts in the U.S. fell 3 percent from July to August, even though the amount of building permits issued increased by 3.5 percent, according to new federal statistics. “Permit growth indicates that our members feel confident …

Existing-home sales increased again in July, continuing a three-month upward growth trend, according to the National Association of Realtors. Existing-home sales, which are completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, increased 2 percent to 5.59 million in July from …

The number of homes sold in the U.S. and their median selling prices increased in June, up from 2014 and setting the highest selling pace since 2007. Completed sales transactions on existing homes increased to 573,000, which is growth of 13.2 percent from a year ago, …

Nearly 23,000 new retail jobs were added in June, but not in the building materials category, according to the National Retail Federation. Total retail employment – excluding car dealerships, gas stations and restaurants – increased by 212,000 jobs on a year-over-year basis, according …

Americans spent less on home improvement and garden products in June than in May, according to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau. Shoppers reduced their home improvement spending by 1.3 percent in that period. The June 2014 to June 2015 drop was 1.4 percent. Overall retail …

Independent We Stand, an organization that supports locally owned businesses, is taking to the road today to visit independents from Detroit to Boston – and the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) is along for the ride. During the trip, Independent We Stand and NRHA …

Existing-home sales were up in May, increasing by 5.1 percent from April and jumping 9.2 percent year over year. About 5.35 million existing single-family, townhouses, condominiums and co-ops sold in the U.S. in May, according to the National Association of …

U.S. retail and food services sales increased in May, up an estimated 2.7  percent from May 2014 — but the home improvement industry’s numbers were even better. Building materials and gardening supplies sellers saw retail sales go up by 4.8 percent year over year, and …