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| New home sales accelerate in June
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| Sales of new homes pushed to their fastest clip in eight years last month, a sign that buyers see their opportunity to capture bargain prices, low interest rates and a federal tax credit for first-time home buyers as limited. Some also took the news that sales rose 11 percent nationwide during June as a sign that the housing market -- one of the roots of the deep recession -- could be turning a corner. Sales have now risen for three months in a row.
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| @ Sarasota Herald Tribune | Posted: 07/28/09 at 0201 EDST
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| Florida tax base falls 15 percent
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| More than $360 billion leaked out of Florida property values last year, more than the entire value of Miami-Dade County. Two years ago, Florida property lost 4 percent of its value, with much of the loss coming in Southwest Florida. But with credit markets seizing up and housing prices spiraling downward in 2008, values plunged another 15 percent last year, dropping the total value of the Florida market to $2.1 trillion. Property values hit their crest in 2006 at $2.4 trillion.
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| @ Sarasota Herald Tribune
| Posted: 07/28/09 at 0315 EDST
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| Economists: Slow recovery on tap
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| The beginning of an economic recovery appears to be just a few months away but unemployment will continue to rise past 10 percent into next year. The results lend support to growing forecasts for a sluggish and jobless start to the recovery. The jobless rate will peak at 10.2 percent, according to the median estimate of the 49 economists surveyed July 16-22. That’s up nearly a half-percentage point from the previous survey in April. The nation’s unemployment rate hit 9.5 percent in June, a 26-year high.
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| @ Florida Association of Realtors | Posted: 07/28/09 at 0320 EDST
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| Florida’s existing home, condo sales rise in June 2009
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| Florida’s existing home sales rose in June – the 10th consecutive month that sales activity showed gains in the year-to-year. Existing home sales rose 28 percent last month with a total of 15,850 homes sold statewide compared to 12,339 homes sold in June 2008. Statewide existing home sales in June increased 13.8 percent over May’s statewide activity. Florida Realtors also reported a 39 percent rise in statewide sales of existing condos in June; existing condo sales last month rose 8.3 percent over the total units sold in May.
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| @ Florida Association of Realtors | Posted: 07/28/09 at 0330 EDST
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| Illinois Home Sales Increase Significantly
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| Illinois Homebuyers Take Advantage of Favorable Conditions in June; Sales Up 20.8 Percent from May, Median Price Up 6.6 Percent
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| @ Illinois Association of Realtors | Posted: 07/28/09 at 0345 EDST
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| Consumer confidence among Floridians fell three points in June, down to 68.
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| Perceptions of personal finances now compared to a year ago rose three points to 44 from a revised May reading of 41. This component is still near historical lows. Perceptions of personal finances a year from now fell six points to 84. Perceptions of U.S. economic conditions over the next year fell seven points to 65 – it was 51 at this time last year. Finally, perceptions as to whether it is a good time to buy big ticket items fell
nine points to 67.
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| @ UF Bureau of Economic and Business Research | Posted: 07/28/09 at 0400 EDST
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| Rockford area jobless rate ties 25-year high
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| June’s unemployment rate in Boone and Winnebago counties was 14 percent, or more than 25,000 jobless residents, according to data released today by the Illinois Department of Employment Security. That’s up 0.6 percentage point from May and 5.3 percentage points from a year ago. The rate was the highest for June since 1983 and tied a 25-year high-water mark last seen in February.
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| @ Rockford Register Star | Posted: 07/28/09 at 0415 EDST
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| Sales of new one-family houses in June 2009 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 384,000
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| This is 11.0 percent above the revised May rate of 346,000, but is 21.3 percent below the June 2008 estimate of 488,000. The median sales price of new houses sold in June 2009 was $206,200; the average sales price was $276,900. The seasonally adjusted estimate of new houses for sale at the end of June was 281,000. This represents a supply of 8.8 months at the current sales rate.
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| @ U.S. Department of Commerce | Posted: 07/28/09 at 0419 EDST
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| Loonie continues to take off
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| The Canadian dollar had another winning day yesterday, staying above 92 cents US and briefly cracking the highest level it has hit in nine months.
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| @ Hamilton Spectator | Posted: 07/28/09 at 0646 EDST
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| Bank of Canada may have to break interest rate promise
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| The Canadian dollar hit a 10-month high Monday amid growing risk appetite and rising expectations that inflation will ultimately force the Bank of Canada to break its promise to keep interest rates on hold until mid-2010.
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| @ Ottawa Citizen | Posted: 07/28/09 at 0652 EDST
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| Building permits total more than $10 million in Calgary
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| Editor's Comment: It's worth a minute to see what a midsize Canadian city is doing development wise.
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| @ Calgary Herald | Posted: 07/28/09 at 0655 EDST
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