How Will the Economy Impact Housing for the Rest of 2024?
Limited inventory, higher construction costs and elevated interest rates continue to frustrate prospective home buyers. The new quarterly NAHB/Wells Fargo Cost of Housing Index recently underscored the burden that housing costs represent for middle- and low-income families. And builders are feeling the crunch, too, as noted in the latest NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.
So what can the housing industry expect for the remainder of the year?
NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz and Senior Economist Fan-Yu Kuo will provide an analysis and outlook of key macro issues affecting the economy and the housing industry in an upcoming webinar with Pro Builder magazine on June 26 at 2 p.m. ET.
The webinar will provide attendees with a better understanding of what macroeconomic factors are driving the housing industry in 2024, which key housing policies are affecting their business the most, and how they can prepare their business for what’s to come.
Topics will include:
- Federal Reserve’s monetary policy and current inflation and interest rate readings,
- Immigration,
- Existing home inventory, and
- Other factors affecting the home building industry.
The presentation will also include a live question-and-answer session for attendees.
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Latest Economic News
The U.S. labor market rebounded in October, with nonfarm payroll employment increasing by 165,000 jobs and the unemployment rate declining to 4.1%. However, the improvement in overall employment contrasts with continued weakness in residential construction, where employment fell by 16,400 jobs, the largest monthly decline since March 2021.
New multifamily housing confidence weakened year-over-year in the third quarter, according to the Multifamily Market Survey (MMS) by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). The MMS produces two separate indices. The Multifamily Production Index (MPI) had a reading of 41, down five points year-over-year, while the Multifamily Occupancy Index (MOI) had a reading of 69, also down five points year-over-year.
Mortgage application activity declined in October as the 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose sharply again. The Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Market Composite Index, a measure of total mortgage application volume, fell 14.1% month-over-month in October on a seasonally adjusted basis. Compared to a year ago, total mortgage applications were 39.8% lower.