Job Openings Plunge By 20 Percent YoY In September, Burned Out Since Covid And Related Spending Growth Cooled (Harris Will Further Grow Regulatory Burden)

Congress went wild spending on Covid relief and related wasteful spending. Notice that the impetus for job openings (spending) occurred before “Angry Joe” Biden and Commie-la Harris were sworn in. So, the job creation claims by Biden/Harris were put into motion before they assumed office.

The lag in job openings growth after the surge in spending is clearly visible in the following chart, as is the BURNOUT in job openings growth after Covid spending burned out.

Harris is promising explosive spending if elected. And she is promising MORE regulations! And the regulatory burden will grow.

Mortgage Applications Decline -0.1% WoW Due To Declining Mortgage Refis

Mortgage applications were essentially flat last week as rates increased for the fourth time in five weeks, driven by bond market volatility in advance of the presidential election and the next FOMC meeting. The 30-year fixed rate, at 6.73 percent, was at its highest level since July 2024.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 30, 2024) — Mortgage applications decreased 0.1 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending October 25, 2024. 

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 0.1 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 1 percent compared with the previous week. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index increased 5 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index increased 4 percent compared with the previous week and was 10 percent higher than the same week one year ago.

The Refinance Index decreased 6 percent from the previous week and was 84 percent higher than the same week one year ago.

Mortgage Purchase Index Decreased 5 Percent From Previous Week (I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better If Harris Loses)

I’ll feel a whole lot better … when Kamala Harris is gone.

Mortgage applications decreased 6.7 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending October 18, 2024.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 6.7 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 7 percent compared with the previous week. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 5 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 5 percent compared with the previous week and was 3 percent higher than the same week one year ago.

The Refinance Index decreased 8 percent from the previous week and was 90 percent higher than the same week one year ago.

Implied volatility in Treasury yields has risen to the highest since December.

Cottage Cheese? Mortgage Applications Down 17% Since Last Week, Purchase Applications Down -60% Under Biden/Harris (Housing Prices Up 34.2% Under Biden/Harris While Mortgage Rates Up 138.6%)

I would like to see Kamala Harris explain why mortgage purchase applications are down -60% under Biden/Harris Presidency. Other than a word salad answer. Or Cottage Cheese.

Mortgage applications decreased 17.0 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Applications Survey for the week ending October 11, 2024.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 17.0 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 17 percent compared with the previous week. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 7 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 7 percent compared with the previous week and was 7 percent higher than the same week one year ago.

The Refinance Index decreased 26 percent from the previous week and was 111 percent higher than the same week one year ago.

Housing prices are up 34.2% under Biden/Harris while mortgage rates are up 138.6%.

Inflation Prints Hotter Than Expected After Big Fed Rate-Cut (Biden/Harris Legacy Of Real Weekly Earnings DOWN -3.4%, Rent UP 23%)

Biden/Harris will be remembered for many things, mostly BAD. Uncontrolled immigration, crime out of control, endless wars, grossly incompetent government administrators, 200k+ missing immigrant children, etc. But wreckless inflation coming from insane government spending takes the cake. And it is heating up again, with the help of The Feral Reserve. Yes, The FERAL Reserve.

Under Biden/Harris, prices are WAY up, real weekly earnings are WAY down.

Gas: +38.2%
Electricity: +31.3%
Fuel oil: +37.4%
Airfare: +24.5%
Hotels: +42.4%
Groceries: +22.1%
Eggs: +69.2%
Baby food: +31%
K-12 food: +69.7%
Rent: +22.9%
Transportation: +31.1%
Car insurance: +56.5%
Real average weekly earnings: -3.4%

For the 52nd straight month, core consumer prices rose on a MoM basis in September (+0.3% MoM – hotter than the 0.2% expected) – the strongest since March. That left Core CPI YoY up 3.3%, hotter than the 3.2% expected

Source: Bloomberg

The headline CPI also printed hotter than expected (+0.2% MoM vs +0.1% MoM exp), with the YoY CPI up 2.4% (hotter than the 2.3% expected but lowest since Feb 2021)…

Source: Bloomberg

Core Services and Food costs surged in September…

Source: Bloomberg

Overall, headline consumer prices are up over 20% (5.1% p.a.) since the Biden-Harris admin took over, which compares to around 8% (1.97% p.a) during Trump’s first term…

Source: Bloomberg

The so-called SuperCore CPI also increased on a YoY basis to +4.6%…

Source: Bloomberg

A surge in Transportation Services costs (record high auto insurance) and Medical Care Supplies lifted Super Core…

Source: Bloomberg

Why is the cost of auto insurance up 56% since Biden and Harris took over?

Source: Bloomberg

Real wages are down since the start of the Biden-Harris administration…

Source: Bloomberg

Finally, we note that money supply is resurgent once again, suggesting The Fed’s confidence in CPI’s decline may be misplaced…

Source: Bloomberg

Could we really replay the ’70s once again?

Source: Bloomberg

Will that really be Powell’s legacy? Or will the timing of this resurgence in inflation be perfectly timed to coincide with Trump’s election victory… and offer a perfect patsy for who is to blame?

Biden/Harrisnomics At Work! US Existing Home Sales Fall To Near 14-Year Lows In August (Pending Home Sales AT All-time Low!)

More evidence of how destructive Biden/Harris economic policies have been.

The NAR data show existing home sales down 2.5 percent in August to a 3.86 million unit seasonally adjusted annual rate after a small upward revision to 3.96 million units in July.

US existing home sales fell in August to near 14-year lows. Pink box.

Meanwhile, pending home sales (red line) ARE at an all-time low.

On The Harris/Walz Price Control Scam: PPI (Prices Producers Paid) Soared MORE Than CPI (Prices Consumers Paid)

Kamala Harris and Tim Walz have produced a destructive proposal to solve the inflation problem: price controls. Her biggest supporters like Elizabeth Warren and Ohio’s Sherrod Brown love the idea of meddling in the private sector,

But I would be symapatheic to their arguement if consumer prices soared more than producer prices. However, the truth is that prices paid by producers (PPI) SOARED far more than prices paid by consumers (CPI).

The cause? Federal goverment spending (green line) exploded with Covid. Harris/Walz are proposing massive spending under her administration hence there will be MORE inflation under Harris/Walz. So, the have to rely on flawed gimmics like price controls. Which will lead to shortage, food lines, rastioning, etc.

Market participants are expecting a 50 BPS cut tomorrow. From 5.50% to 4.913%.

This painting represents Washington DC where the deep state lingers in darkness.

Biden/Harris-illusionomcs! Pending Home Sales All-time Low While Consumer Spending Is Just Government Handouts

We’ll be fooled again by Harris/Walz??

The Biden/Harris illiusionomics was built on false hoods.

Look at pending home sales, now the LOWEST in history. The midwest led the decline in PHS at -7.8%.

Why? One reason is the illusion of a growing economy … that wasn’t growing organically. It was just Biden/Harris doling out trillions in handouts. Trillions of dollars in annual “consumer spending” is actually just government handouts being spent by people – it’s increased every month this year:

Highway To Hell! US Pending Home Sales Index Falls Below Pandemic Low (Now At Worst Ever Level)

Biden/Harrisnomics is the US ecoonomy’s highway to hell.

US pending home sales just fell to below pandemic lows and is officially the worst in history.

Way to go Biden/Harris. The economy distorters and killers. Welcome to NEW Venezuela!

Streets Of Baltimore: Office Tower Sold For $4 Million ($12 Per Square Foot)

The Streets of Baltimore. I don’t think Gram Parsons would like the streets of Baltimore anymore.

A 345k SF office tower in Baltimore sold for $4M That’s a shocking $12 per square foot.

That’s cash on the barrelhead. Unless some poor lender is willing to take a bath on CRE in major metro areas like crime-ridden Baltimore.