Two months into the new year, consumers are spending less, economic growth has slowed, the inflation rate has declined (although arguably not as much as the Fed would like), and the over-heated housing market has cooled.
Read MoreThe housing market is crazy! More than one industry professional has reached that conclusion, watching trends that seem inconsistent, if not contradictory.
The December employment report was a good news-bad news-good news story. The good news: Employers added nearly 50,000 jobs and the unemployment rate fell, after remaining essentially flat for the previous two months.
Reports on housing market conditions during the past year have chronicled the disconnect between an economy hobbled by the pandemic and a housing market that seems to exist in an alternate universe, seemingly unaffected by lockdowns, job losses, and economic uncertainty.
The old year has ended. (We stayed awake past midnight on New Year’s Eve, just to be sure.) Looking ahead, we’ve compiled an assortment of predictions for those who prefer not to rely on their own crystal balls to anticipate what the coming year will bring.