Tag Archives: economy

The American Hardware Manufacturers Association’s AHMA Home Improvement Industry Confidence Index’s Current Situation Index improved in June to 337.5 from 320.8 in May. Manufacturers also indicate plans to invest in mobile devices and confirm the importance of a strong housing …

Average U.S. rates on fixed mortgages eased slightly this week, remaining near historic lows. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday the average rate for a 30-year loan declined to 4.17 percent from 4.20 percent last week. The average for the …

The outlook for all of the major commercial real estate sectors is slightly improving across the country despite disappointing economic growth during the first quarter of 2014. According to the National Association of Realtors quarterly commercial real estate forecast and …

May marks one of the best four-month stretches of job creation since the late 1990s, renewing optimism about the five-year-long recovery. According to the latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, non-farm employment advanced a seasonally adjusted 217,000 in May, …

With the improved economy, new homes are getting bigger again. The average size of newly built single-family homes increased during the first quarter of this year, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Using first-quarter census numbers on home …

American shoppers dialed it back in April after spending at the fastest pace in almost five years. Household purchases unexpectedly fell 0.1 percent, the first decrease in a year, after a 1 percent gain the prior month that was the …

The importance of small business to job creation and to the U.S. economy has been the focus of economists and policy makers alike for several decades. But defining or measuring what constitutes or defines a small business is quite challenging, …

Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in May for the 12th consecutive month, and the overall economy grew for the 60th consecutive month, say the nation’s supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report on Business. To find out …