After their long-awaited meeting, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) unanimously voted to raise federal funds rates by a quarter of a percentage point, moving the target range for interest rates 25 basis points, from 3.5%-3.75%, to 3.75%-4%. During a press conference following the meeting, Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh cited the data from this past…

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Inflation saw no unexpected moves as the Iran war keeps the situation elevated, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. With this month’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) a key indicator for the upcoming Federal Reserve meeting, all eyes are on price pressures, which are simultaneously weighing on household budgets. The August…

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Editor’s note: Econ Review is a roundup of the housing and economic market data reports released during the month. Summer 2026 did not pick up speed as the industry had originally hoped when the year began, largely due to elevated inflation from the Iran war. However, some positive signs for the housing market might still…

The post Econ Review: A Look at August’s Key Market Data appeared first on RISMedia.

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Above, Fed Governor Christopher Waller As the Federal Open Market Committee’s (FOMC) next meeting quickly approaches, real estate professionals are closely monitoring Federal Reserve governors for any hints as to whether rates will remain the same or face increases. At Reuters NEXT Newsmaker Interview Thursday, Fed Governor Christopher Waller described his economic outlook and stated…

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In a Sept. 1 speech at the Second Chance Lending Forum in Washington, D.C., focusing on the economic outlook and financial inclusion, Federal Reserve Governor Michael S. Barr noted that the labor market is stable with relatively low unemployment, with the economy growing solidly, “powered in part by the boom in AI-related business investment and…

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Above, Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh Real estate professionals anxiously awaiting lower mortgage rates may not see a decrease anytime soon, as it remains uncertain what action the Federal Reserve will take at its September meeting. In his debut speech at the 2026 Jackson Hole Economic Policy Symposium Friday in Wyoming, Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh…

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In the face of ongoing geopolitical uncertainty and economic headwinds, consumers’ feelings about the economy remain dim. The nonprofit research firm, The Conference Board, released its latest month report Aug. 25, with its Consumer Confidence Index falling by 0.8 points to 89.4. July’s revised estimate was 90.2, leaving behind nearly a whole point between the…

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As the question of affordability looms over homebuyers’ heads, recent reports by economists generally agree that the housing market is weighed down by economic and global constraints—though a new report offers some near-term reasons for optimism. The latest monthly Leading Economic Index (LEI) by nonprofit The Conference Board highlighted slight growth in many forward-looking metrics,…

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When many economic indicators pointed to issues with inflation, the governors of the Federal Reserve’s Open Market Committee (FOMC) instead voted once again to maintain their “wait and see” approach in their most recent meeting.  Newly released minutes from the meeting, however, reveal that three members of the committee did in fact advocate for a…

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New Construction Craters in July

Tuesday, August 18th, 2026

Economic uncertainty continues to push builders to temper their expectations (and pace of construction) based on the latest monthly new residential construction report by the U.S. Census Bureau. The Bureau’s report for July states that privately owned housing starts were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.24 million. This is a considerable decrease (12.4%)…

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