Note: Mortgage rates are from MortgageNewsDaily.com and are for top tier scenarios.

Wednesday:
• At 8:30 AM, The initial weekly unemployment claims report will be released.  

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: FHFA’s Q3 National Mortgage Database: Outstanding Mortgage Rates, LTV and Credit Scores

A brief excerpt:

Here are some graphs on outstanding mortgages by interest rate, the average mortgage interest rate, borrowers’ credit scores and current loan-to-value (LTV) from the FHFA’s National Mortgage Database through Q3 2025 (released this morning).
...
This shows the surge in the percent of loans under 3% starting in early 2020 as mortgage rates declined sharply during the pandemic.

Note that a fairly large percentage of mortgage loans were under 4% prior to the pandemic!

The percent of outstanding loans under 4% peaked in Q1 2022 at 65.1% (now at 51.5%), and the percent under 5% peaked at 85.6% (now at 68.6%). These low existing mortgage rates make it difficult for homeowners to sell their homes and buy a new home since their monthly payments would increase sharply.

This was a key reason existing home inventory levels were so low. However, time is eroding this lock-in effect.

There is much more in the article.

From the Fed: Minutes of the Federal Open Market Committee, December 9–10, 2025. Excerpt:

In their consideration of monetary policy at this meeting, participants noted that inflation had moved up since earlier in the year and remained somewhat elevated. Participants further noted that available indicators suggested that economic activity had been expanding at a moderate pace. They observed that job gains had slowed this year and that the unemployment rate had edged up through September. Participants assessed that more recent indicators were consistent with these developments. In addition, they judged that downside risks to employment had risen in recent months.

Against this backdrop, most participants supported lowering the target range for the federal funds rate at this meeting, while some preferred to keep the target range unchanged. A few of those who supported lowering the policy rate at this meeting indicated that the decision was finely balanced or that they could have supported keeping the target range unchanged. Those who favored lowering the target range for the federal funds rate generally judged that such a decision was appropriate because downside risks to employment had increased in recent months and upside risks to inflation had diminished since earlier in 2025 or were little changed. Some of these participants emphasized that lowering the target range for the federal funds rate at this meeting was in line with a forward-looking approach to the pursuit of the Committee's dual-mandate objectives. These participants noted that reducing the policy rate at this meeting would be consistent with the projected decline in inflation over coming quarters while contributing to a strengthening of economic activity in 2026 that would help stabilize labor market conditions after this year's cooling. Those who preferred to keep the target range for the federal funds rate unchanged at this meeting expressed concern that progress toward the Committee's 2 percent inflation objective had stalled in 2025 or indicated that they needed to have more confidence that inflation was being brought down sustainably to the Committee's objective. These participants also noted that longer-term inflation expectations could rise should inflation not return to 2 percent in a timely manner. Some participants who favored or could have supported keeping the target range unchanged suggested that the arrival of a considerable amount of labor market and inflation data over the coming intermeeting period would be helpful in making judgments on whether a rate reduction was warranted. A few participants judged that lowering the federal funds rate target range at this meeting was not justified because data received over the intermeeting period did not suggest any significant further weakening in the labor market. One participant agreed with the need to move toward a more neutral monetary policy stance but preferred lowering the target range by 1/2 percentage point at this meeting.

In considering the outlook for monetary policy, participants expressed a range of views about the restrictiveness of the Committee's policy stance. Most participants judged that further downward adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate would likely be appropriate if inflation declined over time as expected. With respect to the extent and timing of additional adjustments to the target range for the federal funds rate, some participants suggested that, under their economic outlooks, it would likely be appropriate to keep the target range unchanged for some time after a lowering of the range at this meeting. A few participants observed that such an approach would allow policymakers to assess the lagged effects on the labor market and economic activity of the Committee's recent moves toward a more neutral policy stance while also giving policymakers time to acquire more confidence about inflation returning to 2 percent. All participants agreed that monetary policy was not on a preset course and would be informed by a wide range of incoming data, the evolving economic outlook, and the balance of risks.

In discussing risk-management considerations that could bear on the outlook for monetary policy, participants generally judged that upside risks to inflation remained elevated and that downside risks to employment were elevated and had increased since the middle of 2025. Most participants noted that a move toward a more neutral policy stance would help forestall the possibility of a major deterioration in labor market conditions. Many of these participants also judged that the available evidence pointed to a reduced probability that tariffs would lead to persistent inflation pressures. These participants observed that it was appropriate for the Committee to ease its policy stance in response to downside risks to employment, thereby helping to bring the risks to achieving the dual-mandate goals into better balance, and suggested that a move toward a more neutral policy stance at this meeting would leave policymakers well positioned to determine the extent and timing of additional adjustments to the policy rate, with these judgments being based on the incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks. By contrast, several participants pointed to the risk of higher inflation becoming entrenched and suggested that lowering the policy rate further in the context of elevated inflation readings could be misinterpreted as implying diminished policymaker commitment to the 2 percent inflation objective. Participants judged that a careful balancing of risks was required and agreed on the importance of well-anchored longer-term inflation expectations in achieving the Committee's dual-mandate objectives.
emphasis added

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Case-Shiller: National House Price Index Up 1.4% year-over-year in October

Excerpt:

S&P/Case-Shiller released the monthly Home Price Indices for October ("October" is a 3-month average of August, September and October closing prices). August closing prices include some contracts signed in June, so there is a significant lag to this data. Here is a graph of the month-over-month (MoM) change in the Case-Shiller National Index Seasonally Adjusted (SA).

The National index increased 0.37% month-over-month (MoM). This is the 3rd consecutive month with a MoM increase seasonally adjusted that followed 5 consecutive months with a MoM decline.

There is much more in the article.

S&P/Case-Shiller released the monthly Home Price Indices for October ("October" is a 3-month average of August, September and October closing prices).

This release includes prices for 20 individual cities, two composite indices (for 10 cities and 20 cities) and the monthly National index.

From S&P S&P Cotality Case-Shiller Index Records Annual Gain in October 2025

• The S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index posted a 1.4% annual gain for October, up from a 1.3% rise in the previous month.

• Regional divergence persists as Midwestern and Northeastern markets, led by Chicago (5.8%) and New York (5.0%), outpaced Sun Belt cities like Tampa (–4.2%) and Phoenix (–1.5%).

• Sixteen of 20 markets declined month-over-month in October, signaling broad stagnation as high mortgage rates weigh on affordability and suppress price momentum.
...
“October’s data show the housing market settling into a much slower gear, with the National Composite Index up only about 1.4% year over year – among the weakest performances since mid-2023,” said Nicholas Godec, CFA, CAIA, CIPM, Head of Fixed Income Tradables & Commodities at S&P Dow Jones Indices. “This figure is essentially unchanged from September’s 1.3% annual gain and represents less than a third of the 5.1% average home price increase recorded in 2024. National home prices also continue to lag consumer inflation, as October’s CPI is estimated around 3.1% (based on a provisional index the U.S. Treasury announced due to the federal data shutdown) – roughly 1.8 percentage points higher than the latest housing appreciation. In real terms, that gap implies a slight decline in inflation-adjusted home values over the past year.

“Regional performance underscores a striking geographic rotation. Chicago now leads all major markets with a 5.8% annual price gain, followed by New York at 5.0% and Cleveland at 4.1%. These traditionally stable Midwestern and Northeastern metros have sustained solid growth even as broader conditions soften. By contrast, Tampa home prices are down 4.2% year over year – the steepest drop among the 20 cities, marking Tampa’s 12th consecutive month of annual declines. Other former high- flyers in the Sun Belt are similarly struggling: Phoenix (-1.5%), Dallas (-1.5%), and Miami (-1.1%) all remain in negative territory. It’s a stark reversal from the pandemic boom, as the markets that were once ‘pandemic darlings’ are now seeing the sharpest corrections while more traditional metros continue to post modest gains.
...
The S&P Cotality Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported a 1.4% annual gain for October, up from a 1.3% rise in the previous month. The 10- City Composite showed an annual increase of 1.9%, down from a 2.0% increase in the previous month. The 20-City Composite posted a year-over-year increase of 1.3%, down from a 1.4% increase in the previous month.
...
The pre-seasonally adjusted U.S. National, 10-City Composite, and 20-City Composite Indices continued to report negative month-over-month changes in October, posting a -0.3% drop for the 20- City Composite Index and -0.2% decreases for both the 10-City Composite and U.S. National Indices.

After seasonal adjustment, the U.S. National Index reported a monthly increase of 0.4% and both the 10-City Composite and 20-City Composite Indices posted month-over-month gains of 0.3%. emphasis added

Click on graph for larger image.

The first graph shows the nominal seasonally adjusted Composite 10, Composite 20 and National indices (the Composite 20 was started in January 2000).

The Composite 10 index was up 0.3% in October (SA).  The Composite 20 index was up 0.3% (SA) in October.

The National index was up 0.4% (SA) in October.

The second graph shows the year-over-year change in all three indices.

The Composite 10 NSA was up 1.9% year-over-year.  The Composite 20 NSA was up 1.3% year-over-year.

The National index NSA was up 1.4% year-over-year.

Annual price changes were close to expectations.  I'll have more later.

From Matthew Graham at Mortgage News Daily: New 2-Month Lows, Just Barely

With another holiday closure on deck and light calendar of events, the rate market is off to another uneventful start this week. In fact, the average lender barely budged from last Friday. But it was enough for MND's 30yr fixed rate index to tick down by 0.01%.

This is the lowest level since October 28th--just barely edging out the lows seen on November 25th. There were only 5 days in November and one day in September with lower rates. Before that, you'd have to go back to September 2024 to see anything lower.[30 year fixed 6.194%]
emphasis added

Tuesday:
• At 9:00 AM ET, FHFA House Price Index for October. This was originally a GSE only repeat sales, however there is also an expanded index. 

• Also at 9:00 AM, S&P/Case-Shiller House Price Index for October. The consensus is for an 1.1% year-over-year increase in the Composite 20 index for October.

• At 9:45 AM, Chicago Purchasing Managers Index for December.

• At 2:00 PM, FOMC Minutes, Meeting of December 9-10<

Earlier I posted some questions on my blog for next year: Ten Economic Questions for 2026. Some of these questions concern real estate (inventory, house prices, housing starts, new home sales), and I posted thoughts on those in the newsletter (others like GDP and employment will be on this blog).

I'm adding some thoughts and predictions for each question.

Here is a review of the Ten Economic Questions for 2025.

5) Inflation: Core PCE was up 2.8% YoY through September. This was down from a peak of 5.6% in early 2022.  The FOMC is forecasting the YoY change in core PCE will be in the 2.4% to 2.6% range in Q4 2025. Will the core inflation rate decrease further in 2026, and what will the YoY core inflation rate be in December 2026?

Although there are different measures for inflation, they all show inflation above the Fed's 2% inflation target on a year-over-year basis.

Note:  I follow several measures of inflation, including median CPI and trimmed-mean CPI from the Cleveland Fed.  Also core PCE prices (monthly from the BEA) and core CPI (from the BLS).

Click on graph for larger image.

On a year-over-year basis, the median CPI rose 3.1% in November (down from 3.5% YoY in September), the trimmed-mean CPI rose 2.9% (down from 3.3%), and the CPI less food and energy rose 3.0% (down from 3.2%). 
Core PCE is for September was up 2.8% YoY, down from 2.9% in August.
The Fed is projecting core PCE inflation will decrease to 2.4% to 2.6% by Q4 2026. 
The good news is we should expect a further decline in housing inflation (asking rents have been flat for 3 years, and it takes time for the previous rent increases to filter through to renewals).  And inflation was fairly high in January last year (CPI up 5.7% annual rate, Core CPI up 5.5% annual rate) - so it is likely YoY measures of inflation will decline further in January.
From Goldman Sachs economists last week:

"We expect core PCE inflation to slow to 2.1% by the end of 2026 as tariff pass-through fades and wage growth and shelter inflation continue to fall."

My guess is core PCE inflation (year-over-year) will decrease in 2026 (from the current 2.8%) but still be above the Fed's 2% target by Q4 2026 (and above Goldmans forecast of 2.1%).  
Here are the Ten Economic Questions for 2026 and a few predictions:

• Question #7 for 2026: How much will wages increase in 2026?

• Question #8 for 2026: How much will Residential investment change in 2026? How about housing starts and new home sales in 2026?

• Question #9 for 2026: What will happen with house prices in 2026?

• Question #10 for 2026: Will inventory increase further in 2026?<

From the NAR: NAR Pending Home Sales Report Shows 3.3% Increase in November

Pending home sales in October increased by 1.9% from the prior month and fell 0.4% year over year, according to the National Association of REALTORS® Pending Home Sales Report. ...

Month-Over-Month
3.3% increase in pending home sales
Gains in all four regions

Year Over Year
2.6% increase in pending home sales
Gains in all four regions
emphasis added

Note: Contract signings usually lead sales by about 45 to 60 days, so this would usually be for closed sales in December and January.

Altos reports that active single-family inventory was down 2.9% week-over-week.  
Note that Inventory usually bottoms seasonally in January or February.
The first graph shows the seasonal pattern for active single-family inventory since 2015.
Click on graph for larger image.

The red line is for 2025.  The black line is for 2019.  
Inventory was up 13.1% compared to the same week in 2024 (last week it was up 13.5%), and down 6.0% compared to the same week in 2019 (last week it was down 5.7%). 
Inventory started 2025 down 22% compared to 2019.  Inventory and closed most of that gap, however inventory was still down 6% compared to 2019 at the end of the year.
This second inventory graph is courtesy of Altos Research.
As of December 26th, inventory was at 736 thousand (7-day average), compared to 758 thousand the prior week.  
Mike Simonsen discusses this data and much more regularly on YouTube

Weekend:
• Schedule for Week of December 28, 2025

• Question #6 for 2026: What will the Fed Funds rate be in December 2026?

Monday:
• At 10:00 AM ET, Pending Home Sales Index for November. The consensus is for a 1.0% increase in the index.

• At 10:30 AM, Dallas Fed Survey of Manufacturing Activity for December. This is the last of regional manufacturing surveys for December.

From CNBC: Pre-Market Data and Bloomberg futures S&P 500 are up 1 and DOW futures are up 28 (fair value).

Oil prices were down over the last week with WTI futures at $57.02 per barrel and Brent at $61.03 per barrel. A year ago, WTI was at $71, and Brent was at $74 - so WTI oil prices are down about 20% year-over-year.

Here is a graph from Gasbuddy.com for nationwide gasoline prices. Nationally prices are at $2.76 per gallon. A year ago, prices were at $2.98 per gallon, so gasoline prices are down $0.22 year-over-year.

Earlier I posted some questions on my blog for next year: Ten Economic Questions for 2026. Some of these questions concern real estate (inventory, house prices, housing starts, new home sales), and I posted thoughts on those in the newsletter (others like GDP and employment will be on this blog).

I'm adding some thoughts and predictions for each question.

Here is a review of the Ten Economic Questions for 2025.

6) Monetary Policy:  The FOMC cut the federal funds rate three times in 2025 from "4-1/4 to 4-1/2 percent" at the beginning of 2025, to "3-1/2 to 3-3/4" at the end of the year. The mid-range on the "dot plot" suggests many FOMC participants expect around one to two 25 bp rate cuts in 2026.  What will the Fed Funds rate be in December 2026?

As of December, looking at the "dot plot", the FOMC participants see the following number of rate moves in 2026:
25 bp Rate MovesFOMC
Members
2026 One Rate Hike3 No Change4 One Rate Cut4 Two Rate Cuts4 Three Rate Cuts2 Four Rate Cuts1 More than Four1
This is a wide range of views.
Goldman Sachs economists think there will be 2 rate cuts in 2026:

"We expect the FOMC to compromise on two more 25bp cuts to 3-3.25% but see the risks as tilted lower. "

A key question: How accommodative is current policy?  With core PCE inflation at 2.8% year-over-year in September (the data for October and November is delayed due to the government shutdown) and the "neutral rate" at 1.5% would suggest a Fed Funds Rate at around 4.3% (Of course, estimates of the neutral rate vary widely). 
Currently the target Fed Funds rate range is '3-1/2 to 3-3/4' percent.  And the FOMC projections show core PCE inflation only declining to 2.4 to 2.6% by the end of 2026 (Q4-over-Q4).
However, the FOMC believes inflation will come down as the tariff pass-through fades, and also because of a further declines in housing inflation.   Asking rents have been flat for almost three years, and measures of rent (housing / shelter) are steadily declining.
If we look at recent readings over the last 6 months annualized (through September):PCE Price Index: 2.7% Core PCE Prices: 2.7%Core minus Housing: 2.6%
In Q1 2025, PCE inflation was high.  There might be some residual seasonality in Q1, so it seems likely inflation will be lower in Q1 2026, lowering the YoY measures.
The next FOMC meeting ends on January 28th, and the FOMC will likely hold rates steady at that meeting.  
Due to the ongoing weakness in the labor market, my guess is there will be 2 rate cuts in 2026 with many dissents!  We might even see the 1st ever Fed Chair dissent
As long as the Fed remains independent, FOMC policy will depend on what happens with inflation and employment in 2026.  
Here are the Ten Economic Questions for 2026 and a few predictions:

• Question #7 for 2026: How much will wages increase in 2026?

• Question #8 for 2026: How much will Residential investment change in 2026? How about housing starts and new home sales in 2026?

• Question #9 for 2026: What will happen with house prices in 2026?

• Question #10 for 2026: Will inventory increase further in 2026?

At the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter this week:

Click on graph for larger image.

• Fannie Mae Multi-Family Delinquency Rate Almost to Housing Bust High

• Question #8 for 2026: How much will Residential investment change in 2026? How about housing starts and new home sales in 2026?

• Question #9 for 2026: What will happen with house prices in 2026?

• Question #10 for 2026: Will inventory increase further in 2026?

• Final Look at Housing Markets in November and a Look Ahead to December Sales

This is usually published 4 to 6 times a week and provides more in-depth analysis of the housing market.

Happy New Year! Wishing you all the best in 2026.

The key economic report this week is the Case-Shiller House Price Index.

----- Monday, December 29th -----
10:00 AM: Pending Home Sales Index for November. The consensus is for a 1.0% increase in the index.

10:30 AM: Dallas Fed Survey of Manufacturing Activity for December. This is the last of regional manufacturing surveys for December.

----- Tuesday, December 30th -----
9:00 AM: FHFA House Price Index for October. This was originally a GSE only repeat sales, however there is also an expanded index. 

9:00 AM ET: S&P/Case-Shiller House Price Index for October.

This graph shows graph shows the Year over year change in the seasonally adjusted National Index, Composite 10 and Composite 20 indexes through the most recent report (the Composite 20 was started in January 2000).

The consensus is for an 1.1% year-over-year increase in the Composite 20 index for October.

9:45 AM: Chicago Purchasing Managers Index for December.

2:00 PM: FOMC Minutes, Meeting of December 9-10

----- Wednesday, December 31st -----
8:30 AM: The initial weekly unemployment claims report will be released. 

----- Thursday, January 1st -----
The NYSE and the NASDAQ will be closed in observance of the New Year’s Day holiday

----- Friday, January 2nd -----
No major economic releases scheduled.

Earlier I posted some questions on my blog for next year: Ten Economic Questions for 2026. Some of these questions concern real estate (inventory, house prices, housing starts, new home sales), and I posted thoughts on those in the newsletter (others like GDP and employment will be on this blog).

I'm adding some thoughts and predictions for each question.

Here is a review of the Ten Economic Questions for 2025.

7) Wage Growth: Wage growth was decent in 2025, up 3.5% year-over-year as of November. How much will wages increase in 2026?

The most followed wage indicator is the “Average Hourly Earnings” from the Current Employment Statistics (CES) (aka "Establishment") monthly employment report.

Click on graph for larger image.

The graph shows the nominal year-over-year change in "Average Hourly Earnings" for all private employees.  There was a huge increase at the beginning of the pandemic as lower paid employees were let go, and then the pandemic related spike reversed a year later.

Real wage growth has trended down after peaking at 5.9% YoY in March 2022 and was at 3.5% YoY in November 2025. Although wage growth was close to expectations in November and is trending down.
There are two quarterly sources for earnings data: 1) “Hourly Compensation,” from the BLS’s Productivity and Costs; and 2) the Employment Cost Index which includes wage/salary and benefit compensation. All three data series are different, and most of the focus recently has been the CES series (used in the graph above).

The second graph is from the Atlanta Fed Wage Tracker.   This measure is the year-over-year change in nominal wages for individuals.

By following wage changes for individuals, this removes the demographic composition effects (older workers who are retiring tend to be higher paid, and younger workers just entering the workforce tend to be lower paid).

The Atlanta Fed Wage tracker showed nominal wage growth increased sharply in 2021 and for most of 2022.   In September 2025, the smoothed 3-month average wage growth was at 4.1% year-over-year, down from a peak of 6.7% in July 2022.

NOTE: Due to the government shutdown, the wage tracker has only been updated through September.   It will likely move lower in October and November based on the CES above.

Clearly wage growth has been slowing.  Immigration policy (deportations) might boost wages for some jobs that have been held by undocumented immigrants, but overall I expect to see some further decreases in both the Average hourly earnings from the CES, and in the Atlanta Fed Wage Tracker.  My sense is nominal wages will increase close to low-to-mid 3% range YoY in 2026 according to the CES. Although it is possible that wage growth will increase with a falling participation rate and slower population growth. 
Here are the Ten Economic Questions for 2026 and a few predictions:

• Question #8 for 2026: How much will Residential investment change in 2026? How about housing starts and new home sales in 2026?

• Question #9 for 2026: What will happen with house prices in 2026?

• Question #10 for 2026: Will inventory increase further in 2026?

Today, in the Calculated Risk Real Estate Newsletter: Fannie Mae Multi-Family Delinquency Rate Almost to Housing Bust High

Excerpt:

Fannie and Freddie: Single Family Delinquency Rate Increased in November

Freddie Mac reported that the Single-Family serious delinquency rate in November was 0.58%, up from 0.56% October. Freddie's rate is up year-over-year from 0.56% in November 2024, however, this is below the pre-pandemic level of 0.60%.

Freddie's serious delinquency rate peaked in February 2010 at 4.20% following the housing bubble and peaked at 3.17% in August 2020 during the pandemic.

Fannie Mae reported that the Single-Family serious delinquency rate in November was 0.58%, up from 0.54% in October. The serious delinquency rate is up year-over-year from 0.53% in November 2024, however, this is below the pre-pandemic lows of 0.65%.

The Fannie Mae serious delinquency rate peaked in February 2010 at 5.59% following the housing bubble and peaked at 3.32% in August 2020 during the pandemic.

There is much more in the article.

Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: Question #8 for 2026: How much will Residential investment change in 2026? How about housing starts and new home sales in 2026?

Excerpt:

Earlier I posted some questions on my blog for next year: Ten Economic Questions for 2026. Some of these questions concern real estate (inventory, house prices, housing starts, new home sales), and I’ll post thoughts on those in this newsletter (others like GDP and employment will be on my blog).

I'm adding some thoughts, and maybe some predictions for each question.

Here is a review of the Ten Economic Questions for 2025.

8) Residential Investment: How much will Residential investment (RI) change in 2026? How about housing starts and new home sales in 2026?

First a graph of RI as a percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) through Q3 2025:

We don't have the data yet for Q4 2025 yet, but RI as a percent of GDP will likely be down year-over-year.

Happy Holidays!

Here is a High Sierra webcam (it is snowing!)

Best Wishes to All!

Today, in the CalculatedRisk Real Estate Newsletter: Question #9 for 2026: What will happen with house prices in 2026?

Excerpt:

Earlier I posted some questions on my blog for next year: Ten Economic Questions for 2026. Some of these questions concern real estate (inventory, house prices, housing starts, new home sales), and I’ll post thoughts on those in this newsletter (others like GDP and employment will be on my blog).

I'm adding some thoughts, and maybe some predictions for each question.

Here is a review of the Ten Economic Questions for 2025.

9) House Prices: It appears house prices - as measured by the national repeat sales index (Case-Shiller, FHFA, and Freddie Mac) - will be mostly flat in 2025. What will happen with house prices in 2026?

he following graph shows the year-over-year change through September 2025, in the seasonally adjusted Case-Shiller Composite 10, Composite 20 and National indices (the Composite 20 was started in January 2000). The Case-Shiller Home Price Indices for "September" is a 3-month average of July, August and September closing prices. September closing prices include some contracts signed in May, so there is a significant lag to this data.

The Composite 10 NSA was up 2.0% year-over-year. The Composite 20 NSA was up 1.4% year-over-year. The National index NSA was up 1.3% year-over-year.

There is much more in the article.

The DOL reported:

In the week ending December 20, the advance figure for seasonally adjusted initial claims was 214,000, a decrease of 10,000 from the previous week's unrevised level of 224,000. The 4-week moving average was 216,750, a decrease of 750 from the previous week's unrevised average of 217,500.
emphasis added

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 216,750.

From the MBA: Mortgage Applications Decrease in Latest MBA Weekly Survey

ortgage applications decreased 5.0 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending December 19, 2025.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 5.0 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 6 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index decreased 6 percent from the previous week and was 110 percent higher than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 4 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 6 percent compared with the previous week and was 16 percent higher than the same week one year ago.

“Overall mortgage application volume fell last week, despite the slight decline in mortgage rates,” said Mike Fratantoni, MBA’s SVP and Chief Economist. “MBA expects the trends of a softening job market, sticky inflation, elevated home inventories, and steady mortgage rates will persist into the new year.”

Added Fratantoni, “Purchase application volume last week was 16 percent higher than a year earlier. We are forecasting continued, modest growth in terms of home sales in 2026.”
...
The average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($806,500 or less) decreased to 6.31 percent from 6.38 percent, with points decreasing to 0.57 from 0.62 (including the origination fee) for 80 percent loan-to-value ratio (LTV) loans.
emphasis added

Click on graph for larger image.

The first graph shows the MBA mortgage purchase index.

According to the MBA, purchase activity is up 16% year-over-year unadjusted. 
Red is a four-week average (blue is weekly).  
Purchase application activity is still depressed, but solidly above the lows of 2023 and above the lowest levels during the housing bust.  

The second graph shows the refinance index since 1990.

The refinance index increased from the bottom as mortgage rates declined, but is down from the recent peak in September.