greenbooks · January 30, 2007
Greenbook/Tealbook
Prefatory Note
The attached document represents the most complete and accurate version available
based on original files from the FOMC Secretariat at the Board of Governors of the
Federal Reserve System.
Please note that some material may have been redacted from this document if that
material was received on a confidential basis. Redacted material is indicated by
occasional gaps in the text or by gray boxes around non-text content. All redacted
passages are exempt from disclosure under applicable provisions of the Freedom of
Information Act.
Content last modified 02/07/2013.
Confidential (FR) Class III FOMC
January 26, 2007
CURRENT ECONOMIC
AND FINANCIAL CONDITIONS
Supplemental Notes
Prepared for the Federal Open Market Committee
by the staff of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Contents
The Domestic Nonfinancial Economy ........................................................ 1
Sales of New and Existing Homes...................................................1
Manufactures’ Shipments and Orders..............................................1
Tables
Private Housing Activity..................................................................2
Orders and Shipments of Nondefense Capital Goods......................5
Charts
Private Housing Starts and Permits..................................................2
Indicators of Single-Family Housing...............................................3
Communications Equipment............................................................5
Non-High-Tech, Nontransportation Equipment ..............................5
Computers and Peripherals ..............................................................5
Medium and Heavy Trucks..............................................................5
The Domestic Financial Economy ...........................................................6
Tables
Commercial Bank Credit .................................................................6
Selected Financial Market Quotations .............................................7
Supplemental Notes
The Domestic Nonfinancial Economy
Sales of New and Existing Homes
The data on sales of new and existing homes in December provide further evidence that
housing demand is stabilizing. Sales of new homes climbed 4¾ percent in December to
an annual rate of 1.12 million units following an upward-revised increase of 7½ percent
in November. Much of December’s increase was concentrated in the Midwest and may
have been related to the unusually warm temperatures in that region in December. Total
existing home sales ticked down ¾ percent in December to an annual rate of 6.2 million
units. Sales of single-family homes slipped 1¼ percent to an annual rate of 5.4 million
units, but remained within the fairly narrow range of readings seen since mid-summer.
Sales of existing condos and co-ops were up 2 percent relative to their November
reading.
The stock of new homes for sale ticked down for the fifth consecutive month in
December after having peaked in July. Even so, these inventories amounted to
5¾ months’ supply at December’s higher sales pace, about 20 percent above the upper
bound of the relatively tight range that this variable occupied between 1997 and 2005. 1
In the market for existing homes, the stock of single-family existing homes for sale ticked
down in December and represented seven months’ supply at December’s sales pace—in
line with the elevated readings seen throughout the second half of last year.
The average sales prices of both new and existing homes were unchanged in December
relative to their levels twelve months earlier. On a constant-quality basis, new home
prices in the fourth quarter were 3½ percent higher than their level four quarters earlier,
down from the 6½ percent appreciation posted in the preceding four-quarter period.
The most recent reading of the purchase-only version of the OFHEO price index, which
partially controls for changes in the structural characteristics and amenities of homes
sold, was up 6 percent in the third quarter relative to its level four quarters earlier.
Manufacturers’ Shipments and Orders
Shipments of nondefense capital goods excluding aircraft declined 0.3 percent in
December while new orders rose 2.4 percent, partially retracing the declines registered in
1
.
-1-
-2-
Private Housing Activity
(Millions of units, seasonally adjusted; annual rate except as noted)
2006
Sector
All units
Starts
Permits
Single-family units
Starts
Permits
Adjusted permits1
Permit backlog2
New homes
Sales
Months’ supply3
Existing homes
Sales
Months’ supply3
Multifamily units
Starts
Permits
Permit backlog2
Mobile homes
Shipments
Condos and co-ops
Existing home sales
2006
Q2
Q3
Q4
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
1.80
1.84
1.87
1.93
1.71
1.71
1.56
1.56
1.48
1.55
1.57
1.51
1.64
1.61
1.46
1.38
1.41
.131
1.53
1.46
1.49
.156
1.40
1.28
1.31
.137
1.23
1.17
1.19
.131
1.19
1.18
1.20
.142
1.28
1.15
1.17
.137
1.23
1.17
1.20
.131
1.06
6.23
1.10
6.17
1.01
6.76
1.06
6.17
1.00
6.67
1.07
6.08
1.12
5.75
5.68
6.38
5.86
6.12
5.48
7.02
5.49
6.98
5.51
7.03
5.51
6.92
5.44
7.00
.337
.457
.062
.343
.466
.068
.313
.433
.067
.331
.394
.062
.291
.372
.066
.290
.363
.065
.412
.445
.062
.122
.107
.098
.096
.828
.796
.734
.761
n.a.
.803
n.a.
.757
n.a.
.777
1. Adjusted permits equal permit issuance plus total starts outside of permit-issuing areas.
2. Number outstanding at end of period. Excludes permits that have expired or have been canceled,
abandoned, or revoked. Not at an annual rate.
3. At current sales rate; expressed as the ratio of seasonally adjusted inventories to seasonally adjusted
sales. Quarterly and annual figures are averages of monthly figures.
n.a. Not available.
Private Housing Starts and Permits
(Seasonally adjusted annual rate)
Millions of units
2.0
2.0
1.8
1.8
Single-family starts
1.6
1.6
1.4
1.4
Dec.
1.2
1.2
Single-family adjusted permits
1.0
1.0
.8
.8
.6
.6
Multifamily starts
.4
Dec.
.2
.0
.4
.2
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
Note. Adjusted permits equal permit issuance plus total starts outside of permit-issuing areas.
2005
2006
.0
-3-
Indicators of Single-Family Housing
Homebuying Indicators
Home Sales
Thousands of units
7500
Thousands of units
1500
Existing home sales
1400
New home sales
Index
160
7000
1300
6500
1200
6000
1100
5500
Dec.
1000
5000
900
4500
800
4000
Index
550
Pending home sales index (left scale)
MBA purchase index (right scale)
Jan. 19
140
120
450
350
Nov.
700
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
3500
100
80
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
150
Note. Purchase index is a 4-week moving average and
is seasonally adjusted by FRB staff.
Source. For pending home sales, National Association
of Realtors; for purchase index, Mortgage Bankers Assoc.
Source. For existing homes, National Association of
Realtors; for new homes, Census Bureau.
New Home Sales
Months’ Supply
Content partially redacted.
250
Mortgage Rates
Months
7
9
6
8
8
7
7
Percent
9
30-year FRM
Dec.
Months’ supply (right scale)
5
4
Jan.
6
6
3
2
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
5
1
4
0
3
Prices of Existing Homes
20
1-year ARM
1998
2000
4
2002
2004
2006
2008
3
Note. The January readings are based on data
through January 24, 2007.
Source. Freddie Mac.
Note.
. Months’
supply is calculated using the 3-month moving average of sales.
Source.
; for months’ supply, Census Bureau.
25
5
Prices of New Homes
Percent change from year earlier
25
Repeat transactions, purchase-only index
Average price of homes sold
20
Case-Shiller price index
20
Percent change from year earlier
25
Constant quality index
Average price of homes sold
20
25
15
15
15
15
10
10
10
10
5
5
0
0
-5
-5
Q3
5
Oct.
Dec.
0
-5
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
2008
Source. For repeat transactions, OFHEO; for average
price, National Association of Realtors; for Case-Shiller,
Chicago Mercantile Exchange.
5
Q4
Dec.
1998
2000
2002
2004
2006
0
2008
Note. Average price values have been adjusted by
Board staff to take into account new sampling procedures
adopted in 2005.
Source. Census Bureau.
-5
-4-
October and November. For the fourth quarter as a whole, both shipments and orders
declined significantly after having posted solid gains in the previous quarters.
The weakness in shipments last month was centered in the nondefense communications
equipment category, in which shipments plunged 10.5 percent. However, this category is
quite volatile, and the accompanying surge in new orders of more than 15 percent is
encouraging. Orders and shipments of computer equipment revised up significantly in
November, and shipments increased 1.3 percent in December, slightly offsetting the weak
news on communications equipment. Outside of high-tech and transportation, shipments
rebounded moderately from their November drop. Overall, the sluggishness in this
category appears to have become fairly widespread.
The three-month moving average of the staff’s constructed series on real adjusted durable
goods orders stayed in negative territory for the third month in a row. This series—which
strips out nondefense aircraft, defense capital goods, and industries for which reported
orders actually equal shipments—has historically had some predictive power for
industrial production.
-5-
Orders and Shipments of Nondefense Capital Goods
(Percent change; seasonally adjusted current dollars)
2006
Category
Q3
Q4
Oct.
Annual rate
Nov.
Dec.
Monthly rate
Shipments
Excluding aircraft
Computers and peripherals
Communications equipment
All other categories
9.9
6.9
25.6
-21.7
8.3
-3.6
-3.5
-32.0
-8.2
1.4
-2.3
-1.5
-22.9
-2.0
1.2
1.8
2.1
35.8
-.8
-.8
-.4
-.3
1.3
-10.5
.6
Orders
Excluding aircraft
Computers and peripherals
Communications equipment
All other categories
27.2
14.6
24.3
35.7
11.4
3.0
-6.1
-30.8
-31.5
.6
-14.4
-4.0
-23.7
-21.3
.3
-.3
-1.0
36.8
2.5
-4.7
9.0
2.4
-3.1
15.4
1.9
Memo:
Shipments of complete aircraft1
34.8
n.a.
34.4
34.2
n.a.
1. From Census Bureau, Current Industrial Reports; billions of dollars, annual rate.
n.a. Not available.
Non-High-Tech,
Nontransportation Equipment
Communications Equipment
20
17
14
Billions of chained (2000) dollars, ratio scale
Shipments
Orders
20
17
14
11
11
8
8
57
52
Billions of chained (2000) dollars, ratio scale
Shipments
Orders
52
47
Dec.
5
2
170
42
42
37
37
5
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Note. Shipments and orders are deflated by a price index
that is derived from the BEA’s quality-adjusted price indexes
and uses the PPI for communications equipment for
monthly interpolation.
2
32
2000 = 100
Billions of chained (2000) dollars
Industrial production (left scale)
Real M3 shipments (right scale)
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Note. Shipments and orders are deflated by the staff
price indexes for the individual equipment types included
in this category. Indexes are derived from the BEA’s
quality-adjusted price indexes.
32
Medium and Heavy Trucks
Dec.
20
17
150
15
130
13
110
11
90
9
70
7
50
47
Dec.
Computers and Peripherals
200
57
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Note. Ratio scales. Shipments are deflated by the staff
price index for computers and peripheral equipment, which
is derived from the BEA’s quality-adjusted price indexes.
5
1100
920
800
Thousands of units, ratio scale
Sales of class 4-8 trucks
Net new orders of class 5-8 trucks
920
800
680
680
560
440
560
Dec.
320
200
1100
440
320
1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Note. Annual rate, FRB seasonals.
Source. For class 4-8 trucks, Ward’s Communications;
for class 5-8 trucks, ACT Research.
200
-6-
The Domestic Financial Economy
Commercial Bank Credit
(Percent change, annual rate, except as noted; seasonally adjusted)
Type of credit
Total2
Level,1
Dec. 2006*
2005
H1
2006
Q3
2006
Q4
2006*
Nov.
2006
Dec.
2006
10.5
11.9
9.3
4.6
5.7
5.5
7,903
Loans3
Total
To businesses
Commercial and industrial
Commercial real estate
11.6
11.6
10.8
6.2
5.4
9.8
5,909
13.1
17.1
16.3
15.7
20.2
13.7
9.7
7.1
4.7
7.4
9.3
7.2
1,167
1,433
To households
Residential real estate
Revolving home equity
Consumer
Originated4
Other5
12.0
13.3
3.1
.7
8.5
7.7
.1
6.7
7.4
12.0
7.3
3.9
6.5
5.1
4.6
1.6
1.3
.3
4.5
14.8
-2.1
4.3
8.6
9.0
16.1
9.7
7.2
11.4
9.9
13.6
1,743
453
734
1,124
832
7.6
5.4
.0
13.5
12.6
13.3
8.3
20.0
4.8
3.9
6.0
1.6
-.1
-3.4
-4.0
9.1
6.5
9.4
-3.9
26.1
-7.1
1.6
-14.2
21.3
1,994
2,144
1,192
981
Securities
Adjusted2
Reported
Treasury and agency
Other6
Note. Yearly annual rates are Q4 to Q4; quarterly and monthly annual rates use corresponding average levels. Data
are adjusted to remove estimated effects of consolidation related to FIN 46 and for breaks caused by reclassifications.
1. Billions of dollars. Pro rata averages of weekly (Wednesday) levels.
2. Adjusted to remove effects of mark-to-market accounting rules (FIN 39 and FAS 115).
3. Excludes interbank loans.
4. Includes an estimate of outstanding loans securitized by commercial banks.
5. Includes security loans and loans to farmers, state and local governments, and all others not elsewhere classified.
Also includes lease financing receivables.
6. Includes private mortgage-backed securities, securities of corporations, state and local governments, foreign
governments, and any trading account assets that are not Treasury or agency securities, including revaluation gains
on derivative contracts.
* Adjusted to remove the effects of a consolidation of a sizable volume of thrift assets onto a commercial bank’s
books in October 2006.
-7-
III-T-1
Selected Financial Market Quotations
(One-day quotes in percent except as noted)
2004
2006
2007
Instrument
Change to Jan. 25 from
selected dates (percentage points)
June 28
June 29
Dec. 11
Jan. 25
2004
June 28
2006
June 29
2006
Dec. 11
1.00
5.25
5.25
5.25
4.25
.00
.00
1.36
1.74
4.88
5.06
4.81
4.88
5.01
4.98
3.65
3.24
.13
-.08
.20
.10
Commercial paper (A1/P1 rates)2
1-month
3-month
1.28
1.45
5.27
5.37
5.25
5.23
5.25
5.24
3.97
3.79
-.02
-.13
.00
.01
Large negotiable CDs1
3-month
6-month
1.53
1.82
5.47
5.59
5.31
5.32
5.32
5.36
3.79
3.54
-.15
-.23
.01
.04
Eurodollar deposits3
1-month
3-month
1.29
1.51
5.33
5.49
5.35
5.35
5.32
5.36
4.03
3.85
-.01
-.13
-.03
.01
Bank prime rate
4.00
8.25
8.25
8.25
4.25
.00
.00
Intermediate- and long-term
U.S. Treasury4
2-year
5-year
10-year
2.88
3.97
4.90
5.26
5.15
5.28
4.66
4.46
4.59
4.98
4.83
4.93
2.10
.86
.03
-.28
-.32
-.35
.32
.37
.34
U.S. Treasury indexed notes
5-year
10-year
1.56
2.25
2.49
2.61
2.20
2.19
2.49
2.49
.93
.24
.00
-.12
.29
.30
Municipal general obligations (Bond Buyer)5
5.01
4.71
4.03
4.32
-.69
-.39
.29
Private instruments
10-year swap
10-year FNMA6
10-year AA7
10-year BBB7
10-year high yield7
5.21
5.38
5.60
6.25
8.41
5.81
5.59
6.20
6.74
8.74
5.01
4.83
5.43
5.99
8.20
5.33
5.17
5.75
6.28
8.14
.12
-.21
.15
.03
-.27
-.48
-.42
-.45
-.46
-.60
.32
.34
.32
.29
-.06
Home mortgages (FHLMC survey rate)
30-year fixed
1-year adjustable
6.21
4.19
6.78
5.82
6.12
5.45
6.25
5.49
.04
1.30
-.53
-.33
.13
.04
Short-term
FOMC intended federal funds rate
Treasury bills1
3-month
6-month
Record high
2006
2007
Stock exchange index
Dow Jones Industrial
S&P 500 Composite
Nasdaq
Russell 2000
Wilshire 5000
Change to Jan. 25
from selected dates (percent)
Level
Date
June 29
Dec. 11
Jan. 25
Record
high
2006
June 29
2006
Dec. 11
12,622
1,527
5,049
798
14,752
1-24-07
3-24-00
3-10-00
12-27-06
3-24-00
11,191
1,273
2,174
714
12,846
12,328
1,413
2,443
793
14,248
12,503
1,424
2,434
784
14,359
-.94
-6.78
-51.78
-1.70
-2.66
11.72
11.87
11.95
9.78
11.78
1.41
.77
-.35
-1.12
.78
1. Secondary market.
2. Financial commercial paper.
3. Bid rates for Eurodollar deposits collected around 9:30 a.m. eastern time.
4. Derived from a smoothed Treasury yield curve estimated using off-the-run securities.
5. Most recent Thursday quote.
6. Constant-maturity yields estimated from Fannie Mae domestic noncallable coupon securities.
7. Derived from smoothed corporate yield curves estimated using Merrill Lynch bond data.
_______________________________________________________________________
NOTES:
June 28, 2004, is the day before the most recent policy tightening began.
June 29, 2006, is the day the most recent policy tightening ended.
December 11, 2006, is the day before the most recent FOMC announcement.
_______________________________________________________________________
Cite this document
APA
Federal Reserve (2007, January 30). Greenbook/Tealbook. Greenbooks, Federal Reserve. https://whenthefedspeaks.com/doc/greenbook_20070131_part1
BibTeX
@misc{wtfs_greenbook_20070131_part1,
author = {Federal Reserve},
title = {Greenbook/Tealbook},
year = {2007},
month = {Jan},
howpublished = {Greenbooks, Federal Reserve},
url = {https://whenthefedspeaks.com/doc/greenbook_20070131_part1},
note = {Retrieved via When the Fed Speaks corpus}
}