For the first time since Feb 2012, S&P CoreLogic’s 20-City Composite price index declined for 3 straight months (dropping 0.07% in August, in line with expectations). The non-seasonally-adjusted annual growth rate of home prices rose just 5.13% – the slowest since since Aug 2015. San Francisco and San Diego showed the weakest growth of the 20-City composite while Portland and Seattle rose the most MoM, and Atlanta and Chicago saw the largest declines in price MoM.
All 20 cities in the index showed a year-over-year gain, led by a 12.6 percent advance in Portland, Oregon
New York and Washington posted the smallest 12-month advances
After seasonal adjustment, Portland had the biggest month-over-month increase at 0.7 percent, while Atlanta and Chicago showed the largest declines at 0.6 percent
Nine showed seasonally adjusted price decreases in June over the prior month, including New York, Detroit and Cleveland
“Home prices continued to rise across the country led by the west and the south,” says David M. Blitzer, Managing Director and Chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices.
“In the strongest region, the Pacific Northwest, prices are rising at more than 10%; in the slower Northeast, prices are climbing a bit faster than inflation. Nationally, home prices have risen at a consistent 4.8% annual pace over the last two years without showing any signs of slowing.
“Overall, residential real estate and housing is in good shape. Sales of existing homes are at running at about 5.5 million units annually with inventory levels under five months, indicating a fairly tight market. Sales of new single family homes were at a 654,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate in July, the highest rate since November 2007. Housing starts in July topped an annual rate of 1.2 million units. While the real estate sector and consumer spending are contributing to economic growth, business capital spending continues to show weakness.”
Chart: Bloomberg
via http://ift.tt/2copEP1 Tyler Durden