January 2012 U.S. Economic Fundamentals

[Ally]

More seek unemployment aid in the U.S., but trend is positive




The number of people seeking unemployment benefits rose last week to a seasonally adjusted 377,000, up from a nearly four-year low the previous week. But the longer-term trend is pointing to a healthier job market.




Applications have trended down over the past few months. The four-week average has declined to 377,500. When applications fall consistently below 375,000, it tends to signal that hiring is strong enough to lower the unemployment rate.





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[Ally]

Investing in the U.S.




It wasn`t so long ago that the last thing on a U.S. realtor`s mind was attempting to divine the motivations of potential Canadian buyers. But times have changed, as this excerpt from one real estate investing website reveals: `Canada is a busy city where people lead a rough life trying to be the fittest. There is always a continuous race for power and money. Relaxing in Canada is almost impossible. To run away from the busy and competitive life, people usually opt to go abroad, especially to a sunny place.`




Can`t argue with that`but why the effort to understand a people from such a cold and faraway, er, city? Well, the answer should be obvious: Last May, 20% of Canadians responding to a Leger Marketing survey said they were interested in buying U.S. real estate, and increasingly they`re translating their interest into action. According to the National Association of Realtors, non-residents of the United States accounted for some $41 billion (all currency in U.S. dollars) of real estate purchases in 2010, and as of late 2011, 23% of all international sales were to Canadians, up from just 11% as recently as 2007. The action is mostly focused on the Sunbelt, with Florida still the most popular destination for international purchasers, accounting for 31% of sales; next in order were the southwestern states of California, Arizona and Texas. In fact, in Arizona, Canadians recently supplanted Californians as the leading out-of-state buyers





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