Economic Center Blog
Welcome to the First American Economic Center Blog, a top source for the latest housing market research and analysis driven by Chief Economist Mark Fleming.

Mind the Gap Between Mortgage Rates and the 10-Year Treasury Yield

By Odeta Kushi on May 24, 2023
The popular 30-year, fixed mortgage rate is loosely benchmarked to the 10-year Treasury bond. Since the end of the Great Recession, the 30-year, fixed mortgage rate has on average remained 1.7 percentage points (170 basis points) higher than the 10-year Treasury bond yield. Yet, this spread is not always consistent. It usually widens during ... Read More›

Housing Interest Rates

The REconomy Podcast™: Where are mortgage rates headed and what makes them so hard to forecast?

By FirstAm Editor on May 18, 2023
In this episode of the REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi discuss why mortgage rates are notoriously difficult to forecast and how post-pandemic dynamics are influencing the direction of mortgage rates in 2023. Read More›

Housing Interest Rates Affordability REconomy

The REconomy Podcast™: What Would the Economy and Housing Market Look Like if the Pandemic Never Happened?

By FirstAm Editor on May 4, 2023
In this episode of the REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi discuss what may have happened to the economy and the housing market if the COVID-19 pandemic had never occurred. Read More›

Housing Interest Rates Affordability REconomy

The REconomy Podcast™: Underutilized Office Buildings Pose Challenge to Commercial Real Estate Sector

By FirstAm Editor on April 20, 2023
In this episode of the REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi discuss how underutilized office space may impact the commercial real estate industry with special guest Senior Commercial Real Estate Economist Xander Snyder Read More›

Housing Interest Rates Affordability REconomy

The REconomy Podcast™: What Do the Recent Bank Failures and Federal Reserve Actions Mean for the Housing Market?

By FirstAm Editor on April 7, 2023
In this episode of the REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi break down the housing market implications from an eventful month of March, which included ongoing inflationary pressure, bank failures and a Federal Reserve rate increase. Read More›

Housing Interest Rates Affordability REconomy

The REconomy Podcast™: Why House Prices in Some Markets are More Resilient than Others

By FirstAm Editor on March 23, 2023
In this episode of the REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi discuss home price trends nationally and at the market level, examining why house prices in some markets are more resilient than others as house prices adjust to higher mortgage rates. Read More›

Housing Interest Rates Affordability REconomy

For Single Women, Housing Remains Largest Component of Wealth Creation

By Ksenia Potapov on March 10, 2023
As we celebrate International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, it’s important to reflect on the progress that women, and single women in particular, have made in achieving one of the main tenets of the American Dream – homeownership. Since 2019, the number of single, female-headed households (including widowed, separated, or divorced) has ... Read More›

Housing Homeownership

The REconomy Podcast™: What is a Housing Recession and is the U.S. in One Now? (Part 1)

By FirstAm Editor on March 9, 2023
In this episode of the REconomy Podcast™ from First American, Chief Economist Mark Fleming and Deputy Chief Economist Odeta Kushi discuss how to define the term ‘housing recession’ and try to determine whether or not the U.S. housing market is currently in a housing recession. Read More›

Housing Interest Rates Affordability REconomy