Daily Mortgage Rate Lock Advisory

Housing Starts/Building Permits

Privately-owned housing starts in July 2009 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 581,000. This is 1.0 percent below the revised June 2009 estimate of 587,000.

July 2009: -1.0 % change
June 2009: +6.5 % change

Tags: rate

Manufacturing and Trade Inventories and Sales

U.S. total business sales for June were $975.8 billion, up 0.9 percent (±0.2%) from last month. Month-end inventories were $1,350.0 billion, down 1.1 percent (±0.1%) from last month.

June 2009: +0.9 % Change in sales
May 2009: -0.1 % Change in sales

Tags: business sales, Month-end, U.S.

Advance Monthly Sales for Retail and Food Services

U.S. retail and food service sales for July reached $342.3 billion, a decrease of 0.1 percent (±0.5%)* from the previous month.

July 2009: -0.1 % change
June 2009: +0.8 % change

Tags: decrease, food service sales, service, U.S.

U.S. International Trade in Goods and Services

The Nation’s international deficit in goods and services increased to $27.0 billion in June from $26.0 billion (revised) in May, as imports increased more than exports.

June 2009: -27.0 $ billion
May 2009: -26.0 $ billion

Tags: deficit, international deficit

Monthly Wholesale Trade: Sales and Inventories

June 2009 sales of merchant wholesalers were $313.1 billion, up 0.4 percent (+/-0.7%) from last month. End-of-month inventories were $393.9 billion, down 1.7 percent (+/-0.4%) from last month.

June 2009: -1.7 % change in Inv
May 2009: -1.2 % change in Inv

Tags: 1 billion, End-of-month, merchant wholesalers

Manufacturers’ Shipments, Inventories, and Orders

New orders for manufactured goods in June increased $1.4 billion or 0.4 percent to $349.0 billion.

June 2009: 0.4 % change
May 2009: 1.1 % change

Tags: manufactured goods

Housing Vacancies and Homeownership

Homeownership Rate (HR)
The homeownership rate (67.4 percent) for the current quarter was lower than the rate in second quarter 2008 (68.1 percent), but not statistically different from the rate in second quarter 2009
(67.3 percent).

Rental Vacancy Rate (RVR)
The rental vacancy rate in second quarter 2009 (10.6 percent) was higher than the second quarter 2008 rate (10.0 percent).

Homeowner Vacancy Rate (HVR)
The homeowner vacancy rate in second quarter 2009 (2.5 percent) was lower than the second quarter 2008 rate (2.8 percent).

2nd Qtr 2009
(HR): 67.4 percent
2nd Qtr 2008
(HR): 68.1 percent

Tags: Homeowner, Homeownership, HVR, rate, rental vacancy rate, RVR, second quarter, Vacancy

Quarterly Financial Report – Retail Trade

After-tax profits for retail corporations with assets greater than $50 million averaged 1.7 cents per dollar of sales for the first quarter 2009 (the 3 months ending Apr. 30, 2009), up 2.0 (+/- 0.1) cents from the after-tax losses average of 0.3 cents for the fourth quarter 2008 (the 3 months ending Jan. 31, 2009).

1st Qtr. 2009: +2.0 cents
4th Qtr. 2008: -1.9 cents

Tags: 50 million, After-tax, Apr, assets, first quarter, fourth quarter, retail corporations, tax losses, tax profits

Quarterly Financial Report – Manufacturing, Mining and Trade

Manufacturing corporations’ seasonally adjusted after-tax profits averaged 3.2 cents per dollar of sales for the first quarter of 2009, up 8.2 (+/- 0.1) cents from the after-tax losses average of 4.9 cents for the fourth quarter of 2008.

1st Qtr 2009: +8.2 cents
4th Qtr 2008: -12.1 cents

Tags: first quarter, fourth quarter, tax losses, tax profits

Quarterly Services Survey

U.S. Information sector revenue for the first quarter of 2009, adjusted for seasonal variation but not for price changes, was $275.3 billion, a decrease of 0.9 percent (+/- 0.5) from the fourth quarter of 2008.

1st Qtr 2009: 0.9 % change
4th Qtr 2008: -1.6 % change

Tags: decrease, first quarter, fourth quarter, Information, information sector, price changes, seasonal variation, U.S., variation