Kacey Carnes, Author at Harvester Financial Credit Union

Inflation Edges Up

A key measure of price inflation rose in May, and year-over-year now stands at a six-year high, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.2 percent in May on a seasonally adjusted basis after rising 0.2 percent in April. Over the last 12 months,…

Solid Job Growth to Continue, According to The Conference Board

The current strong job growth should continue, despite a dip in certain employment indicators, The Conference Board reports. According to the Board, The Conference Board Employment Trends Index (ETI) decreased in May, after five consecutive monthly gains. The index now stands at 107.69, down from 108.00 (a downward revision) in April. The change represents a…

Fewer Homeowners Are Underwater on Their Mortgages

More than a decade after the housing market collapsed, the recovery has passed another milestone. The share of homeowners who owe more than the value of their home is 9.1 percent, falling below 10 percent for the first time since the housing market fell, according to online real estate company Zillow. The typical U.S. home…

More Companies Offering Promotions without Raises, According to OfficeTeam

Nearly two in five HR managers (39 percent) say it’s common for their company to offer employees promotions without salary increases, according to new research from staffing firm OfficeTeam. That’s a 17-point jump from a similar 2011 survey. How do professionals feel about this practice? Nearly two-thirds of workers (64 percent) reported they’d be willing to…

Gig Economy Blues

Around 3.8 percent of workers-or 5.9 million persons–held what are called \”contingent jobs\” in May of last year, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports. These contingent workers are persons who do not expect their jobs to last or who report that their jobs are temporary. In other words, these are \”gigs\” not proper jobs.…

Home Flipping Rate Matches Six-Year High

House flipping has matched a six year high, with 48,457 U.S. single family homes and condos being flipped in the first quarter of 2018, according to property database curator ATTOM Data Solutions. ATTOM Data Solutions publishes a Home Flipping Report. The latest release shows that house flipping actually declined a bit in Q1 — down…

Birth Rates are Falling Most Where Homes are Appreciating Fastest, According to Zillow

The rate of babies being born is dropping the most in counties where home values are appreciating the fastest, according to a new analysis from online real estate company Zillow. An extra 10 percentage-point rise in home values is associated with an extra 1.5 percentage-point drop in birth rates for 25-to-29 year old women. The…

Couples Will Spend Two Years’ Worth of Rent to Pay for their Wedding, HotPads Finds

Let this sink in: The average cost of a wedding was $36,000 in 2017. According to apartment and home search platform HotPads, this equates to around two years\’ worth of rent. When planning a wedding, many couples face sticker shock at the price of venues, caterers, rings, photographers and other day-of essentials. The average cost…

A Stellar Jobs Report, Almost

The May employment report is very very good. In fact, it\’s nearly perfect. According to the report, the economy added 223,000 jobs in May. This was more than the 190,000 that economists and Wall Street analysts had been expecting. May marked the 92nd consecutive month of job growth in the economy. That sets a record.…

Confidence Index Rose Further in May

Consumer confidence is on an upward trend, and this a good thing for a consumer-driven economy like ours. The Conference Board reports that its Consumer Confidence Index increased in May, following a modest decline in April (after a downward revision). The Index now stands at 128.0 (1985=100), up from 125.6 in April. The Present Situation Index…