HomByt Daily Housing News

Key Market Data

• Bankrate August 21 read: national average 30-year fixed mortgage 6.72%; 15-year fixed 6.09%
• Freddie Mac August 20 PMMS: 30-year fixed mortgage 6.65%, down from 6.67%; 15-year fixed 5.95%, down from 5.96%
• Census August 18 new residential construction release: July housing starts fell 12.4% month over month to a 1.239 million annual pace and were down 13.5% year over year
• Census July building permits rose 5.0% month over month to a 1.443 million annual pace and were up 3.1% year over year
• Census single-family starts fell 9.9% to an 808,000 annual pace; single-family permits rose 2.5% to 894,000
• MarketWatch August 21 coverage: 10-year Treasury around 4.69% to 4.71%, still near the 52-week high area, with mortgage rates at risk of moving toward 7%
• MarketWatch August 21 bond-market coverage: 30-year Treasury above 5%, keeping long-duration rate pressure active
• NAHB August builder confidence: Housing Market Index rose to 35 from 34, still below 40 for the 16th straight month; 35% of builders cut prices in August
• BLS August 12 CPI release: July CPI rose 0.1% month over month and 3.4% year over year
• BLS core CPI: core prices rose 0.2% month over month and 2.5% year over year
• BLS August 13 PPI release: July final-demand PPI was unchanged month over month and rose 4.7% year over year
• Final demand less foods, energy, and trade services rose 0.4% month over month and 4.7% year over year
• Federal Reserve July 29 statement: target range held at 3.5% to 3.75% by a 9-3 vote, with three officials favoring a quarter-point hike
• Census August 14 retail-sales report: July retail and food services sales fell 0.6% month over month to $763.6 billion, but rose 5.0% year over year
• DOL August 13 claims release: initial claims rose to 209,000 for the week ended August 8; continuing claims fell to 1.78 million
• MBA August 19 weekly survey: mortgage applications slipped 0.4% in the week ended August 14 while the 30-year fixed rate held at 6.77%
• BEA June PCE release: PCE inflation 3.7% year over year, down from 4.1% in May; core PCE 3.3%
• BLS August 7 employment report: July nonfarm payroll employment fell by 23,000, unemployment was 4.1%, and May-June payrolls were revised down by 103,000
• BLS wage data: average hourly earnings rose 3.2% year over year in July, with labor-force participation at 61.4%
• University of Michigan preliminary August sentiment: index fell to 51.0 from 55.2 in July, ending two consecutive months of improvement
• Redfin August 21 weekly data: pending sales down 1.6%, while new listings jumped 1.7% week over week
• Redfin market commentary: high housing costs and economic uncertainty are keeping many would-be buyers on the sidelines
• Realtor.com July report: list prices fell 2.4% year over year, 20% of listings had a price cut, and the typical home spent 57 days on market
• NAR August 11 release: July existing-home sales fell 1.7% month over month to a 4.06 million annual pace; median price rose 2.0% year over year to $431,400; inventory was 1.54 million homes, equal to 4.6 months of supply
• NAR August 18 pending-home-sales report: July contract signings fell 2.3% month over month and 2.2% year over year to the lowest level since January 2026
• NAHB July builder data: 63% of builders used sales incentives and 37% cut prices, with an average reduction of 6%
• Today's buyer watch list: whether 6.72% daily mortgage quotes settle back toward Freddie's 6.65% weekly benchmark, whether the 10-year holds near 4.70%, whether weaker starts tighten future supply, and where credits can close the payment gap

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