Consumer Sentiment Falls 9.8% In Feb As Home Sales Drop 4.9%

Buying Conditions for Durable Goods Saw The Steepest Drop, Falling 19%, Largely Driven by Conceerns Over Potential Tariff-Induced Price Increases. Expectations for Personal Finances and the Short-Term Economic Outlook Each Slipped Nearly 10%, While The Long-Term Outlook Declined by 6%, Hitting Its Lowest Point

Inflation Expectations Added to the Downbeat Mood, with Year-AHEAD Inflation Rising to 4.3%, up from 3.3% in january. Long-Run Expectations Also Climbed from 3.2% to 3.5%, The Largest MONTHLY INCREASE SINCE MAY 2021. The inflation Outlook’s Deterioration Widespread, Impacting MOST DEMOGRAPHICS

Existing-Home Sales slide in january The US Housing Market Presiented A Mixed Picture in January. EXISTING-HOME Sales Fell 4.9% from December to Annualized Rate of 4.08 Million Units, As per Nar Data. However, Sales Rose 2.0% Year-Over-Year, Marking The Fourth Consuctive Mont of Annual Growth.

Housing Inventory Increated by 3.5% MONTH-OVER-MONTH TO 1.18 Million Units, Providing A 3.5-Month Supply at the Current Sales Pace. The Median Home Price Reached $ 396,900, Up 4.8% from A Year Earlier, Extending A 19-Month Streak of Price Gains.

Regional Variations Highlight Uneven Market Sales Declines Were Observed in Most US Regions, With The West Experienceing the Largest Drop of 7.4%. The South Fell 6.2%, and the northeast Saw A 5.7% Decline, While the Midwest Remened Stable. Despite Mixed Sales, Home Prices Increated Across All Regions, Led By A 9.5% Surge in The Northeast.

MORTGAGE RATES REMAIN ELEVATED, AVERAGING 6.85% FOR A 30-YEAR FIXED-Rate Mortgage As of February 20, Only Slightly Down from Last Week’s 6.87%. High Mortgage Rates Combined with Rising Prices Continue to Challenge Houshing Affordability.