It was a relatively light week for economic reports.  Unfortunately, a few weak data points this last week and in recent weeks have been steadily eroding economist GDP estimates for the coming quarter, although growth for the second half is expected to be better than what we saw in the first half.

(+) The FHFA house price index, which measures prices of homes financed with conforming mortgages, rose +0.7% for June and slightly beat the median forecast +0.6%.  By region, the strongest gains were located in the East South Central (KY, TN, MS, AL) and Pacific (HI, AK, WA, OR, CA) regions—both up around +1.5% on the month.  The Pacific and Mountain (MT, ID, WY, NV, UT, CO, AZ, NM) regions that were so heavily hit during the housing crisis have shown the strongest regional year-over-year gains, while the nation as a whole rose +8% for the year.  Nevertheless, the index remains about 10% below the pre-crisis peak.

(+) Existing home sales rose more than expected for July, up +6.5% versus a forecast +1.4%, as single-family homes and condos/co-ops both rose in the upper single-digits.  The July result brought the rolling twelve-month gain to +17%.  Regionally, the Northeastern U.S. saw the largest gains, at over +13% on the month, but all other regions also rose in a range of 5-7%.  The months supply of existing homes held steady at 5.1, as did the ratio of distressed homes to overall sales at 15% (lower than nearly a quarter of all sales a year ago).

(-) New home sales fell a surprising -13.4% in July to an annualized rate of 394k units (compared to expectations of a -2.0% decline and a 487k level).  This is the biggest drop since the first-time homebuyer tax credit expired in 2010 and brought sales to their lowest level in nine months—considering June’s numbers were also revised downward a bit.  All four national regions lost ground, but the West declined most, falling over -16%.  At the same time, the median price of a U.S. home rose to $257k from $237k a year ago.  New home sales numbers in the shorter-term have gone through choppy periods without any inherent deeper meaning, so other data and additional monthly results will be needed to make a conclusion.

Are rising interest rates on mortgages having an impact?  Perhaps, according to a few economists, but rates remain low in absolute terms and not prohibitive in relative terms.  Positive homebuilder index figures also stand in contrast to these new home sales results somewhat, and point to better forward-looking activity.  Housing affordability measures (which are generally based on median house prices relative to median household) have deteriorated a bit, however, with the recent gains in home prices from lower levels post-crisis and high levels of investor/non-occupant homebuyers.  From a mortgage rate perspective, even a $100 increase in mortgage payment levels can play a role in first-time buyer and lower-income housing decisions.

(+) The Conference Board’s Index of Leading Economic Indicators for July rose +0.6% to a level of 96.0.  This is a pick-up for the month, following a flat June reading and +0.3% rise for May.  Gains were widespread among eight of the ten elements measured (mostly led by interest rate spreads and loosening of credit, as well as building permits and ISM) and are on the fastest pace in six months, which points to a stronger 2^nd half of 2013 (as expected per separate estimates from other firms).  Separately, the Coincident Economic Index increased +0.2% for the month, while the Lagging Economic index declined -0.2%.  As you can see from the graphic below, indicators continue to charge in a continuous path upward from recession lows as the recovery solidifies.

Source:  The Conference Board

(0) The Markit manufacturing PMI rose from July’s 53.7 to 53.9 for August’s preliminary report (still short of a consensus 54.2 reading).  New orders and employment gained, while output and new export orders were down—so a mixed release overall.  Some economists find this Markit release to be of some value in predicting upcoming ISM manufacturing data.

(0) The FOMC meeting minutes aren’t usually a big issue since the immediate release a few minutes after the close of the initial meeting creates the bulk of market reaction; nonetheless, the minutes (sometimes) provide additional clarity as to committee sentiment and discussion.  This particular set wasn’t as helpful to investors as many would’ve hoped, but comments did continue to allude to possible tapering at the Sept. meeting (as July ‘market expectations of the future course of monetary policy…appeared well aligned with their own (Fed’s) expectations’); however, with some recent choppiness in economic data, it wouldn’t be surprising to see this decision remain data-dependent.  Member opinions are mixed on this issue of continuing asset purchases.  In addition, there was discussion of other communication refinements (forward guidance is one of the ‘tools’ deemed most effective from a policy perspective), as well as possible lowering of the unemployment threshold from the current 6.5%.

(-) Initial jobless claims for the August 17 week were a little weaker than expected, rising to 336k versus an expected 330k.  No states reported any estimated data, and no special factors affected the reports on the surface.  Continuing claims for the August 10 week were a little disappointing as well, at 2,999k vs. a forecast 2,969k.  On the positive side, the four-week moving average of initial claims fell to 331k, which is a new post-recession low.  Claims aren’t in the news as much, perhaps due to their weekly frequency and low-key release, but this series continues to dramatically improve on a cyclical level.

Source:  Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Economic Research