Feenix566
12-29-2005, 05:33 PM
U.S. existing-home sales decline, claims for unemployment aid rise at 15:56 on December 29, 2005, EST.
WASHINGTON (AP) - A cooling U.S. housing market may put buyers in the driver's seat while an improving job market could give workers and jobseekers more leverage, economists say.
Either way, analysts read a pair of economic reports Thursday as indicating a soft landing for the high-flying housing sector and a smoother ride for the labour market.
Sales of previously owned homes fell for the second month in a row, declining a moderate 1.7 per cent in November to an annual rate of 6.97 million units, the lowest since March, the National Association of Realtors reported.
"As more listings of homes come on the market during this period of modestly declining sales, more home buyers will find themselves in a better position to negotiate," said the association's president Thomas Stevens.
Meanwhile, a Labor Department report showed that new applications filed for unemployment insurance last week edged up to 322,000 - a level that is still consistent with a labour market revival, economists said. That report provided further evidence the jobs market is back on its feet after being knocked around by Gulf of Mexico coast hurricanes.
In the middle of September, new applications for jobless benefits surged above the 400,000 mark. Since then, they have slowly drifted downward and now are back at pre-hurricane levels.
In fact the 322,000 level of claims registered last week was slightly better than the 324,000 seen for the corresponding week a year ago.
Hiring -which was hampered by the Gulf hurricanes in September and October - rebounded in November as employers boosted payrolls by 215,000.
Analysts predict that another 200,000 jobs were added in December, and that the unemployment rate will either hold steady at five per cent or move down a notch to 4.9 per cent. The employment report for December will be released next week.
"I think the tide is turning in favour of the employee or jobseeker versus the company," said Rich Yamarone, economist at Argus Research.
A Federal Reserve survey of business conditions around the United States, released in late November, offered anecdotal reports of shortages of specially skilled workers - including those in health care, finance and construction - in some markets.
On the housing front, even with the drop in existing-home sales in November, the market remains in generally healthy shape and is on track to set record-high home sales for the fifth year in a row for all of 2005.
http://www.940news.com/nouvelles.php?cat=22&id=122965
I'm just biding my time until the market crashes... or at least slows down a lot... so that I can buy my first house at a low price :nice:
WASHINGTON (AP) - A cooling U.S. housing market may put buyers in the driver's seat while an improving job market could give workers and jobseekers more leverage, economists say.
Either way, analysts read a pair of economic reports Thursday as indicating a soft landing for the high-flying housing sector and a smoother ride for the labour market.
Sales of previously owned homes fell for the second month in a row, declining a moderate 1.7 per cent in November to an annual rate of 6.97 million units, the lowest since March, the National Association of Realtors reported.
"As more listings of homes come on the market during this period of modestly declining sales, more home buyers will find themselves in a better position to negotiate," said the association's president Thomas Stevens.
Meanwhile, a Labor Department report showed that new applications filed for unemployment insurance last week edged up to 322,000 - a level that is still consistent with a labour market revival, economists said. That report provided further evidence the jobs market is back on its feet after being knocked around by Gulf of Mexico coast hurricanes.
In the middle of September, new applications for jobless benefits surged above the 400,000 mark. Since then, they have slowly drifted downward and now are back at pre-hurricane levels.
In fact the 322,000 level of claims registered last week was slightly better than the 324,000 seen for the corresponding week a year ago.
Hiring -which was hampered by the Gulf hurricanes in September and October - rebounded in November as employers boosted payrolls by 215,000.
Analysts predict that another 200,000 jobs were added in December, and that the unemployment rate will either hold steady at five per cent or move down a notch to 4.9 per cent. The employment report for December will be released next week.
"I think the tide is turning in favour of the employee or jobseeker versus the company," said Rich Yamarone, economist at Argus Research.
A Federal Reserve survey of business conditions around the United States, released in late November, offered anecdotal reports of shortages of specially skilled workers - including those in health care, finance and construction - in some markets.
On the housing front, even with the drop in existing-home sales in November, the market remains in generally healthy shape and is on track to set record-high home sales for the fifth year in a row for all of 2005.
http://www.940news.com/nouvelles.php?cat=22&id=122965
I'm just biding my time until the market crashes... or at least slows down a lot... so that I can buy my first house at a low price :nice: