Housing starts decreased by 14.7% in March from the month prior to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.32 million, the Commerce Department reported today. The rate was 4.3% below the March 2023 level. New building permits—an indicator of future demand—dropped 4.3% in March from the month prior but was 1.5% higher than last year
President-election Trump nominated Bill Pulte as director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. Pulte is CEO of private equity firm Pulte Capital Partners.
Builder confidence in the market for single-family homes in January was 47, up from 46 the previous month, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.
Business inventories in November 2024 came in at $2.59 trillion, up 0.1% from the month prior and up 2.6% from a year ago, the Commerce Department said.
Retail and food service sales for December 2024 were $729.2 billion, up 0.4% from the previous month and up 3.9% from a year ago, the Commerce Department said.
Many small business owners say they have difficulty obtaining information about financial products, “which may contribute to a less competitive market,” according to a report released by the U.S. Treasury Department
As part of a last-minute flurry of rulemaking and guidance, the CFPB released a report recommending states “strengthen” consumer protections by making several changes to their laws and regulations.
