by Calculated Risk on 6/26/2015 03:41:00 PM

The automakers will report June vehicle sales on Wednesday, July 1st. Sales in May were at 17.7 million on a seasonally adjusted annual rate basis (SAAR), and it appears sales will in June will be over 17 million SAAR again.

Note:  There were 26 selling days in June, one less than in June 2014.  Here are a few forecasts:

From Edmunds.com: Auto Industry Poised for Best June Sales in a Decade, Forecasts Edmunds.com

Edmunds.com ... forecasts that 1,484,487 new cars and trucks will be sold in the U.S. in June for an estimated Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) of 17.3 million. The projected sales will be a 9.0 percent decrease from May 2015, but a 4.7 percent increase from June 2014. If the sales volume holds, it will mark the best-selling month of June since 2006, and the biggest June SAAR since 2005.
emphasis added

From J.D. Power: June New-Vehicle Retail Sales Strongest For the Month in a Decade

The forecast for new-vehicle retail sales in June 2015 is 1,169,600 units, a 1 percent increase on a selling-day adjusted basis compared with June 2014 and the highest retail sales volume for the month since June 2005, when sales hit 1,350,004. Retail transactions are the most accurate measure of consumer demand for new vehicles. [Total forecast 17.2 million SAAR]

From Kelley Blue Book: New-Car Sales To Rise Nearly 6 Percent In June 2015, According To Kelley Blue Book

New-vehicle sales are expected to increase 5.8 percent year-over-year to a total of 1.5 million units in June 2015, resulting in an estimated 17.4 million seasonally adjusted annual rate (SAAR), according to Kelley Blue Book ...
...
"With another month of new-car sales growth in June 2015, the sixteenth in a row, the auto industry continues its incredibly strong momentum. With a 17.4 million projected SAAR for June, it would mark the third month above 17 million out of the past four months," said Alec Gutierrez, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "However, heading into the summer months, sales should flatten out at a more sustainable pace."

Another strong month for auto sales.  Let the good times roll!

by Calculated Risk on 6/26/2015 12:37:00 PM

I'm wondering if multi-family housing starts are near a peak. The architecture billings index for multi-family residential market was negative for the fourth consecutive month, and that suggests a slowdown for new apartment construction later this year.

That doesn't mean apartment construction will slow sharply, especially since demographics are still favorable for apartments (as discussed below).   But multi-family construction might move sideways.

However the NMHC Market Tightness Index was still favorable for apartments in Q1, but not as favorable as a few years ago.

Note: Parts of this post are from previous posts.


Click on graph for larger image.

The first graph shows single (blue) and multi-family (red) housing starts for the last several years.

Multi-family is volatile month-to-month, but it does appear that growth is slowing.  Of course multi-family permits were very high last month, so we might see another pickup in starts.

This has been quite a boom for apartments.  It was five years ago that we started discussing the turnaround for apartments. Then, in January 2011, I attended the NMHC Apartment Strategies Conference in Palm Springs, and the atmosphere was very positive.

The drivers were 1) very low new supply, and 2) strong demand (favorable demographics, and people moving from owning to renting).

Demographics are still favorable, but my sense is the move "from owning to renting" has slowed. And more supply has been coming online.

On demographics, a large cohort has been moving into the 20 to 34 year old age group (a key age group for renters). Also, in 2015, based on Census Bureau projections, the two largest 5 year cohorts are 20 to 24 years old, and 25 to 29 years old (the largest cohorts are no longer be the "boomers").  Note: Household formation would be a better measure than population, but reliable data for households is released with a long lag.

Click on graph for larger image.

This graph shows the population in the 20 to 34 year age group has been increasing.  This is actual data from the Census Bureau for 1985 through 2010, and current projections from the Census Bureau from 2015 through 2035.

The circled area shows the recent and projected increase for this group.

From 2020 to 2030, the population for this key rental age group is expected to remain mostly unchanged.

This favorable demographic is a key reason I've been positive on the apartment sector for the last five years - and I expect new apartment construction to stay relatively strong for a few more years.

And on supply, here is the graph comparing multi-family starts and completions. Since it usually takes over a year on average to complete a multi-family project, there is a lag between multi-family starts and completions. Completions are important because that is new supply added to the market, and starts are important because that is future new supply (units under construction is also important for employment).

These graphs use a 12 month rolling total for NSA starts and completions.

The blue line is for multifamily starts and the red line is for multifamily completions.

The rolling 12 month total for starts (blue line) increased steadily over the last few years, and completions (red line) have lagged behind - but completions have been catching up (more deliveries), and will continue to follow starts up (completions lag starts by about 12 months).

Note that the blue line (multi-family starts) might be starting to move more sideways.

Whereas multi-family starts were only up slightly in May (NSA), mutli-family completions were up 60%!

Completions will continue to rise - with more supply coming on the market - even if starts do move sideways.

And looking forward on demographics ...


The fourth graph shows the longer term trend for several key age groups: 20 to 29, 25 to 34, and 30 to 39 (the groups overlap).

This graph is from 1990 to 2060 (all data from BLS: current to 2060 is projected).

We can see the surge in the 20 to 29 age group (red).  Once this group exceeded the peak in earlier periods, there was an increase in apartment construction.  This age group will peak in 2018 (until the 2030s), and the 25 to 34 age group (orange, dashed) will peak in 2023.  This suggests demand for apartments will soften starting around 2020 +/-.

For buying, the 30 to 39 age group (blue) is important (note: see Demographics and Behavior for some reasons for changing behavior).  The population in this age group is increasing, and will increase significantly over the next 10+ years.  

This demographics is positive for home buying, and this is a key reason I expect single family housing starts to continue to increase in coming years.

by Calculated Risk on 6/26/2015 10:03:00 AM

Click on graph for larger image.

The final University of Michigan consumer sentiment index for June was at 96.1, up from the preliminary estimate of 94.6, and up from 90.7 in May.

This was above the consensus forecast of 94.6.

by Calculated Risk on 6/25/2015 08:35:00 PM

The Department of Transportation (DOT) reported:

Travel on all roads and streets changed by 3.9% (10.2 billion vehicle miles) for April 2015 as compared with April 2014.

Travel for the month is estimated to be 267.9 billion vehicle miles.

The seasonally adjusted vehicle miles traveled for April 2015 is 262.4 billion miles, a 3.7% (9.5 billion vehicle miles) increase over April 2014.

The following graph shows the rolling 12 month total vehicle miles driven to remove the seasonal factors.

The rolling 12 month total is moving up, after moving sideways for several years.


Click on graph for larger image.

In the early '80s, miles driven (rolling 12 months) stayed below the previous peak for 39 months.

Miles driven (rolling 12) had been below the previous peak for 85 months - an all time record - before reaching a new high for miles driven in January.

The second graph shows the year-over-year change from the same month in the previous year.

 In April 2015, gasoline averaged of $2.56 per gallon according to the EIA.  That was down significantly from April 2014 when prices averaged $3.74 per gallon.

Gasoline prices aren't the only factor - demographics is also key. However, with lower gasoline prices, miles driven - on a rolling 12 month basis - is at a new high.

by Calculated Risk on 6/25/2015 04:18:00 PM

During the recent recession, every month I posted a graph showing the percent jobs lost during the recession compared to previous post-WWII recessions.

Some people started calling this the "scariest jobs chart ever".

I retired the graph in May 2014 when employment finally exceeded the pre-recession peak (now April 2014 with revisions).

I was asked if I could post an update to the graph, and here it is.


This graph shows the job losses from the start of the employment recession, in percentage terms, compared to previous post WWII recessions.  Since exceeding the pre-recession peak in April 2014, employment is now 2.4% above the previous peak.

Note: most previous recessions end on the graph when employment reached a new peak, although I continued the 2001 recession too.  The downturn at the end of the 2001 recession is the beginning of the 2007 recession.  I don't expect a downturn for employment any time soon (unlike in 2007 when I was forecasting a recession).

by Calculated Risk on 6/25/2015 01:17:00 PM

Freddie Mac reported that the Single-Family serious delinquency rate declined in May to 1.58%, down from 1.66% in April. Freddie's rate is down from 2.10% in May 2014, and the rate in May was the lowest level since November 2008.

Freddie's serious delinquency rate peaked in February 2010 at 4.20%.

These are mortgage loans that are "three monthly payments or more past due or in foreclosure". 

Note: Fannie Mae will report their Single-Family Serious Delinquency rate for May in a few days.

Click on graph for larger image

Although the rate is declining, the "normal" serious delinquency rate is under 1%. 

The serious delinquency rate has fallen 0.52 percentage points over the last year, and at that rate of improvement, the serious delinquency rate will not be below 1% until late 2016.

So even though delinquencies and distressed sales are declining, I expect an above normal level of Fannie and Freddie distressed sales through 2016 (mostly in judicial foreclosure states).

by Calculated Risk on 6/25/2015 11:00:00 AM

From the Kansas City Fed: Tenth District Manufacturing Activity Declined at a Slower Pace

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City released the June Manufacturing Survey today. According to Chad Wilkerson, vice president and economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City, the survey revealed that Tenth District manufacturing activity declined at a slightly slower pace, and producers’ expectations improved modestly.

“Regional factory conditions continued to decline in June, especially in energy-producing areas,” said Wilkerson. “However, firms continue to expect some stabilization in the months ahead and for orders to rise by the end of the year.”
...
Tenth District manufacturing activity declined at a slightly slower pace than the previous month, and producers’ expectations improved modestly. Most price indexes continued to rise, particularly for raw materials.

The month-over-month composite index was -9 in June, up from -13 in May but down from -7 in April ... On the other hand, although still negative, the new orders, order backlog, employment, and new orders for export indexes edged higher.
emphasis added

Some of this recent decline in the Kansas City region has been due to lower oil prices.

by Calculated Risk on 6/25/2015 08:46:00 AM

The BEA released the Personal Income and Outlays report for May:

Personal income increased $79.0 billion, or 0.5 percent ... in May, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased $105.9 billion, or 0.9 percent.
...
Real PCE -- PCE adjusted to remove price changes -- increased 0.6 percent in May, compared with an increase of less than 0.1 percent in April. ... The price index for PCE increased 0.3 percent in May, compared with an increase of less than 0.1 percent in April. The PCE price index, excluding food and energy, increased 0.1 percent in May, the same increase as in April.

The May price index for PCE increased 0.2 percent from May a year ago. The May PCE price index, excluding food and energy, increased 1.2 percent from May a year ago.

The following graph shows real Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) through May 2015 (2009 dollars). Note that the y-axis doesn't start at zero to better show the change.

Click on graph for larger image.

The dashed red lines are the quarterly levels for real PCE.

The increase in personal income was higher than expected.  And the increase in PCE was above the 0.7% increase consensus.  A strong report.

On inflation: The PCE price index increased 0.2 percent year-over-year due to the sharp decline in oil prices. The core PCE price index (excluding food and energy) increased 1.2 percent year-over-year in May.

Using the two-month method to estimate Q2 PCE growth, PCE was increasing at a 3.1% annual rate in Q2 2015 (using the mid-month method, PCE was increasing 4.2%). This suggests a rebound in PCE in Q2, and decent Q2 GDP growth.

by Calculated Risk on 6/25/2015 08:33:00 AM

The DOL reported:

In the week ending June 20, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 271,000, an increase of 3,000 from the previous week's revised level. The previous week's level was revised up by 1,000 from 267,000 to 268,000. The 4-week moving average was 273,750, a decrease of 3,250 from the previous week's revised average. The previous week's average was revised up by 250 from 276,750 to 277,000.

There were no special factors impacting this week's initial claims.

The previous week was revised up by 1,000.

The following graph shows the 4-week moving average of weekly claims since 1971.

Click on graph for larger image.


The dashed line on the graph is the current 4-week average. The four-week average of weekly unemployment claims decreased to 273,750.

This was below the consensus forecast of 273,000, and the low level of the 4-week average suggests few layoffs.

by Calculated Risk on 6/24/2015 07:24:00 PM

Thursday:
• At 8:30 AM ET, the initial weekly unemployment claims report will be released. The consensus is for claims to increase to 273 thousand from 267 thousand.

• At 8:30 AM, Personal Income and Outlays for May. The consensus is for a 0.4% increase in personal income, and for a 0.7% increase in personal spending. And for the Core PCE price index to increase 0.1%.

• At 11:00 AM, the Kansas City Fed manufacturing survey for June.

Economist Tom Lawler sent me an undated table below of short sales, foreclosures and cash buyers for a few selected cities in May.

On distressed: Total "distressed" share is down in most of these markets mostly due to a decline in short sales (Mid-Atlantic is up year-over-year because of an increase in foreclosures in Baltimore).

Short sales are down in all of these areas.

The All Cash Share (last two columns) is declining year-over-year. As investors pull back, the share of all cash buyers will probably continue to decline.

As Lawler noted last month: The Baltimore Metro area is included in the overall Mid-Atlantic region (covered by MRIS). Baltimore is shown separately because a large portion of the YOY increase in the foreclosure share of home sales in the Mid-Atlantic region was attributable to the significant increase in foreclosure sales in the Baltimore Metro area.

	Short Sales Share		Foreclosure Sales Share		Total "Distressed" Share		All Cash Share
	May-15	May-14	May-15	May-14	May-15	May-14	May-15	May-14
Las Vegas	7.3%	7.9%	8.0%	9.1%	15.3%	17.0%	21.9%	40.2%
Reno**	5.0%	11.0%	4.0%	6.0%	9.0%	17.0%
Phoenix	2.8%	3.9%	3.2%	6.7%	6.0%	10.7%	24.0%	29.5%
Sacramento	4.7%	7.0%	5.4%	8.3%	10.1%	15.3%	17.4%	20.5%
Minneapolis	2.4%	3.9%	6.6%	10.0%	9.0%	13.9%
Mid-Atlantic	3.4%	5.2%	10.4%	8.1%	13.8%	13.3%	16.2%	17.2%
Baltimore MSA****	3.6%	5.8%	16.3%	11.9%	19.8%	17.6%
Orlando	3.9%	9.2%	22.8%	24.7%	26.7%	34.0%	33.9%	43.8%
Florida SF	5.3%	9.6%	25.7%	24.6%	31.0%	34.2%	43.4%	48.9%
Florida C/TH	3.2%	7.6%	20.6%	19.7%	23.9%	27.3%	69.5%	72.1%
Miami MSA SF	6.2%	9.6%	16.1%	16.4%	22.3%	26.0%	34.9%	42.6%
Miami MSA C/TH	3.2%	5.9%	17.6%	17.9%	20.8%	23.7%	65.8%	70.1%
Tampa MSA SF	4.3%	7.1%	20.0%	22.1%	24.3%	29.2%	35.3%	40.6%
Tampa MSA C/TH	3.0%	4.9%	13.6%	18.6%	16.6%	23.5%	57.5%	62.7%
Northeast Florida					26.7%	36.8%
Chicago (city)					16.2%	21.6%
Hampton Roads					17.4%	21.3%
Spokane					12.8%	17.0%
Hampton Roads					17.4%	21.3%
Spokane					12.8%	17.0%
Richmond VA MSA			8.5%	13.9%			14.9%	19.4%
Memphis			14.3%	15.6%			28.3%	31.6%
Springfield IL**			5.4%	8.7%
Tucson							25.6%	31.3%
Toledo							26.1%	36.6%
Des Moines							14.0%	17.5%
Peoria							17.9%	19.6%
Georgia***							20.3%	26.0%
Omaha							15.9%	19.4%
Pensacola							31.3%	32.6%
Knoxville							20.5%	22.9%
*share of existing home sales, based on property records **Single Family Only ***GAMLS ****Baltimore is included in the Mid-Atlantic region, but is shown separately here