Contents About this Report... 2 August 2017 Border Summary... 3 Gross Metropolitan Product... 7 Business Cycle Index... 7 Total Construction Values... 8 Residential Construction Values... 8 Nonresidential Construction Values... 9 Employment Growth Rate... 9 Mexico Maquiladora and Manufacturing Employment... 10 Unemployment Rate... 10 Total Private Employee Hourly Earnings... 11 Real Peso per Dollar Exchange Rate... 11 Total Import and Export Value... 12 Housing... 12 Housing Sales... 12 Single-Family Housing Construction Permits... 13 Total New Private Single-Family Construction Value... 13 New Home Months of Inventory... 14 Existing Home Months of Inventory... 14 Months of Inventory by Price Cohort... 15 Months of Inventory by Price Cohort... 15 Months of Inventory by Price Cohort... 16 Months of Inventory by Price Cohort... 16 New Home Days on Market... 17 Existing Home Days on Market... 17 New Home Median Sales Price... 18 Existing Home Median Sales Price... 18 New Home Median Price Per Square Foot... 19 Existing Home Median Price Per Square Foot... 19
About This Report Real Estate Center economists continuously monitor many facets of the global, national, and Texas economies. Texas Border Economy is a summary of important economic indicators that help discern trends in the housing markets along the Texas-Mexico border. All data are seasonally adjusted and averaged over three months, while percentage changes are calculated month over month, unless stated otherwise. This monthly publication provides data and insights on the Texas border markets. We hope you find them useful. Your feedback is always appreciated. Send comments and suggestions to info@recenter.tamu.edu. Dr. James Gaines, Dr. Luis Torres, Wesley Miller, and Bailey Cuadra Data current as of October 5, 2017 2017, Real Estate Center. All rights reserved. 2
August 2017 Border Summary The strengthening peso and tightening labor market conditions supported economic growth along the Texas-Mexico border. Low levels of unemployment and solid job growth on both sides of the border continued to bump up wages. However, construction activity contracted as builders adjusted to new home surpluses and the completion of new schools. NAFTA renegotiations and immigration reform uncertainty present the largest headwinds to the border economies. Economy Recently released 2016 gross metropolitan product data indicated positive economic growth along the border, driven by the service providing industry. led the charge at 2.7 percent growth amid increased activity in professional and business services. The economy grew 2.2 percent due to gains in the FIRE (finance, insurance, and real estate) industries. Growth in stalled from 2.3 percent in 2015 to 0.8 percent as construction aggregate mining slowed. was the only border economy to contract, falling half a percent amid last year s lagging energy and manufacturing sectors. Economic activity stumbled early in 2017 but has since recovered, as indicated by the Dallas Fed s border Business Cycle Indices. The index posted its fifth straight monthly increase, up an annualized 4.2 percent quarter over quarter. Similarly, the index reached 3.7 percent growth after trending negative between May 2015 and March 2017. In, the index remained stable above 3 percent. The index was the outlier, returning to a ten-month downward trend after a brief uptick last month. Total border construction values fell 14.0 percent amid large declines in nonresidential construction activity. Declines in school building construction in,, and El Paso accounted for most of the slump. Residential construction ticked down 1.4 percent as apartment and single-family building slowed in and, respectively. Aggregate border employment lost 1,900 jobs 1, the first decline since July 2015, but remained positive on a three-month moving average. Despite falling below zero at the state level, quarterly annualized employment growth rates were positive in all the border metros. led the pack with a 3.6 percent increase amid strong growth in education and health services. The rate increased 4 points to 1.3 percent, adding 1,400 jobs year to date (YTD), primarily in the leisure and hospitality industry. In and, annualized employment growth settled at 1.9 and 1.4 percent, respectively, 1 Monthly numbers are reported instead of a 3-month moving-average for consistency. 3
continuing their steady expansion. Mexican manufacturing and maquiladora employment added over 2,500 jobs, supporting the general health of the region s labor market. The border unemployment rates 1 ticked up slightly after substantial declines in recent months. (4.1 percent) and (4.5 percent) maintained the lowest unemployment rates, down from 4.9 and 5.1 percent, respectively, at the start of the year. Unemployment in and rests historically higher than most Texas metros but trended downward at 7.0 and 7.5 percent, respectively. Real private hourly earnings in rose from its trough as economic activity recovered. Wages were flat for the third straight month in but maintained a steady 1.7 percent increase YTD. In employment gains drove wages up 4.2 percent on the year, outpacing growth in most of the state. The opposite occurred in where wages slid for the 15 th straight month, down 6.7 percent YTD. Distributional shifts from the goodsproducing to service-providing sector contributed to depressed wages. The peso per dollar exchange rate 2 ticked down below 17. per dollar for the first time since April 2016. The peso weakened during the closing months of 2016 amid political concerns and rising US interest rates. The value of the peso bounced back in 2017, appreciating 16.8 percent since January. The total value of border trade activity increased 0.7 percent as both import and export activity expanded. realized most of the gains, pushing import and export values up 2.0 and 1.9 percent, respectively. Housing Similar to statewide housing sales, border sales declined 3.1 percent, contracting in every metro. Much of the fallback occurred for homes priced less than $,000, but small declines spread throughout the price cohorts. The sales boom slowed as sales fell 6.5 percent but the overall trend remained positive. After three monthly increases, sales dipped 2.9 percent, pulling YTD growth below zero. The market fared worse, diving 9.0 percent relative to last year. The market, which accounts for over half of border housing sales, fell marginally but maintained solid YOY growth at 7.8 percent. Total border single-family residential housing construction permits declined 1.8 percent but maintained positive YTD growth. Permits fell 3.6 and 2.4 percent in and, respectively, in response to recent increases in the number of new homes listed. El Paso permits ticked down for the second consecutive month but sustained 17.5 percent 2 Official numbers are reported instead of a 3-month moving-average for consistency. 4
YTD growth. In, permits trended downward as the new home market remained saturated. Border construction values for private single-family homes rose 0.6 percent, driven completely by a 6.1 percent increase in. In, construction values declined 7.6 percent, reflecting a slowdown in residential building activity there. In and, construction values fell to more typical levels after spiking in May. The months of inventory (MOI) varied along the border but remained constricted in the lower price cohorts. The supply of listings for homes under $,000 fell to 4.5 and 4.0 months in and, respectively, while dropping to 3.5 months in. In, homes under $,000, as well as those priced between $,000-$200,000, settled at 6.5 months, well above the other border metros. The excess supply of new homes increased as the new home months of inventory elevated across the border. The MOI in rose to a series high 7.3 months, while spiking to 13.0 months in. The supply of new listings in increased to 8.3 months, posting positive growth for the fourth consecutive month. The MOI exceeded 4.2 months, up 23.9 percent from May, but may stall amid falling permits and construction values. inventories also increased in the resale market where the existing home MOI rose to a five-year high of 5.9 months. s steep decline in resale MOI eased for the first time since 2014, settling at 4.8 months, but was 15.8 percent lower relative to last August. As in the new home market, the supply of resale listings trended upward in at 8.7 months but at a slower pace. In, new and existing inventories continued to diverge as the resale MOI fell to a series low 7.8 months. In general, housing demand increased on the border as the average number of days on market (DOM) fell for homes priced between $,000-$200,000 (the largest price cohort) in every metro except. Demand in wavered as the DOM persisted above 109 days for every price cohort. The resale inventory decline in coincided with softening demand as the resale DOM rose 5.1 percent to 121 days. The DOM settled at 88 days in and while falling to a series-low 53 days in, just one day above the Texas average. In contrast, the new home DOM doubled relative to last year, reaching 95 days. Despite rising residential construction activity in, new home demand remained soft at an average DOM of 121 days. In, the new home DOM ticked up to 83 days after 5
reaching a cycle-low of 77 days in April. demand intensified, particularly for homes priced over $200,000, driving the DOM down 20.7 percent to 73 days. The median home price was most stable in, hovering around $171,877 and $132,948 for new and existing homes, respectively. Despite market fluctuations, the median price for resale homes in ($123,783), ($167,456), and ($135,764) increased steadily between 1.1 and 1.6 percent YTD. New home prices were much more volatile. The median new home price in rose to $168,261, up 11.2 percent YTD, after sales boomed from strong employment growth earlier this year. In the new home market, the combination of increased supply and softer demand pulled the median down 24.3 percent YTD to $161,148. 6
Economic Activity 8 Gross Metropolitan Product (Year-over-Year Percent Change) 6 4 2 0-2 -Harlingen -4-6 -Edinburg-Mission 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Note: Seasonally adjusted annual rate. Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis 20.0 Business Cycle Index (Quarter-over-Quarter Percent Change) 15.0 10.0 5.0 0.0-5.0-10.0-15.0-20.0 Jan-07 Jul-07 Jan-08 Jul-08 Jan-09 Jul-09 Jan-10 Jul-10 Jul-11 Jan-12 Jul-12 Jan-13 Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15 Jul-16 Jan-17 Jul-17 Note: Seasonally adjusted. For more information, see Texas Business Cycle Index. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas 7
200 1 Total Construction Values ($) 160 140 120 60 40 Jan-08 Jun-08 Nov-08 Apr-09 Sep-09 Feb-10 Jul-10 Dec-10 May-11 Oct-11 Mar-12 Aug-12 Jan-13 Jun-13 Nov-13 Apr-14 Sep-14 Feb-15 Jul-15 Dec-15 May-16 Oct-16 Mar-17 Aug-17 Note: Real values are seasonally adjusted and detrended. Source: Dodge Analytics 140 130 Residential Construction Values (Index Jan 2008 = ) 120 110 90 70 60 50 40 Jan-08 Jun-08 Nov-08 Apr-09 Sep-09 Feb-10 Jul-10 Dec-10 May-11 Oct-11 Mar-12 Aug-12 Jan-13 Jun-13 Nov-13 Apr-14 Sep-14 Feb-15 Jul-15 Dec-15 May-16 Oct-16 Mar-17 Aug-17 Note: Real values are seasonally adjusted and detrended. Source: Dodge Analytics 8
500 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 50 0 Apr-11 Jul-11 Oct-11 Jan-12 Jul-12 Nonresidential Construction Values (Index Jan 2011 = ) Oct-12 Jan-13 Apr-13 Oct-13 Jan-14 Apr-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Apr-15 Jul-15 Oct-15 Apr-16 Jul-16 Oct-16 Jan-17 Jul-17 Note: Real values are seasonally adjusted and detrended. Source: Dodge Analytics 8 Employment Growth Rate (Quarter-over-Quarter Annualized Percent Change) 6 4 2 0-2 -4-6 -8 Border Variable -10 Jan-07 May-07 Sep-07 Jan-08 May-08 Sep-08 Jan-09 May-09 Sep-09 Jan-10 May-10 Sep-10 May-11 Sep-11 Jan-12 May-12 Jan-13 May-13 Sep-13 Jan-14 Sep-14 Jan-15 May-15 Sep-15 May-16 Sep-16 Jan-17 May-17 Note: Seasonally adjusted, 3-month moving average. August 2017 is preliminary. For more information, see Employment Growth Rate. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics 9
1 160 140 120 Mexico Maquiladora and Manufacturing Employment (Index Jan 07 = ) Ciudad Juárez () Matamoros () Chihuahua Reynosa () Nuevo () 60 Jul-07 Dec-07 May-08 Oct-08 Mar-09 Aug-09 Jan-10 Jun-10 Nov-10 Apr-11 Sep-11 Feb-12 Jul-12 Dec-12 May-13 Oct-13 Mar-14 Aug-14 Jan-15 Jun-15 Nov-15 Apr-16 Sep-16 Feb-17 Jul-17 Note: Seasonally adjusted and detrended. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografiía 13 Unemployment Rate (Percent) 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 Jan-07 Jul-07 Jan-08 Jul-08 Jan-09 Jul-09 Jan-10 Jul-10 Jul-11 Jan-12 Jul-12 Jan-13 Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15 Jul-16 Jan-17 Jul-17 Note: Seasonally adjusted. August 2017 is preliminary. For more information, see Unemployment Rate. Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics and Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University 10
125 120 115 110 105 95 90 85 Total Private Employee Hourly Earnings (Index Jan 2007 = ) Jan-07 Jul-07 Jan-08 Jul-08 Jan-09 Jul-09 Jan-10 Jul-10 Jul-11 Jan-12 Jul-12 Jan-13 Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15 Jul-16 Jan-17 Jul-17 Notes: Inflation adjusted, seasonally adjusted and detrended. July 2017 is preliminary. For more information, see Total Private Employee Hourly Earnings. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics $22 $21 $20 $19 $18 $17 $16 $15 $14 $13 $12 Jan-07 Jun-07 Nov-07 Apr-08 Real Peso per Dollar Exchange Rate ($) Sep-08 Feb-09 Jul-09 Dec-09 May-10 Oct-10 Mar-11 Aug-11 Jan-12 Jun-12 Nov-12 Apr-13 Sep-13 Feb-14 Jul-14 Dec-14 May-15 Oct-15 Mar-16 Aug-16 Jan-17 Jun-17 Note: Deflated using the Texas Trade Weighted Value of the Dollar. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas 11
205 185 165 145 Total Import and Export Value (Index Jan 2007 = ) 125 105 85 65 Jan-07 Jun-07 Nov-07 Apr-08 Sep-08 Feb-09 Jul-09 Dec-09 May-10 Oct-10 Mar-11 Aug-11 Jan-12 Jun-12 Nov-12 Apr-13 Sep-13 Feb-14 Jul-14 Dec-14 May-15 Oct-15 Mar-16 Aug-16 Jan-17 Jun-17 Note: The total dollar value of exports and imports were seasonally and detrended for each port of entry. Source: Foreign Trade Division and Census Bureau Housing Housing Sales (Index Jan 2007 = ) 130 120 110 90 70 60 Jan-07 Jul-07 Jan-08 Jul-08 Jan-09 Jul-09 Jan-10 Jul-10 Jul-11 Jan-12 Jul-12 Jan-13 Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15 Jul-16 Jan-17 Jul-17 Note: Seasonally adjusted sales reported by MLS and detrended. 12
110 90 70 60 50 40 Single-Family Housing Construction Permits (Index Jan 2007 = ) 30 Jan-07 Sep-07 May-08 Jan-09 Sep-09 May-10 Sep-11 May-12 Jan-13 Sep-13 Jan-15 Sep-15 May-16 Jan-17 Note: Seasonally adjusted and detrended. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau and Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University 175 160 145 Total New Private Single-Family Construction Value (Index Jan 2011 = ) 130 115 85 70 55 40 Note: Inflation adjusted. Seasonally adjusted and detrended. Source: Dodge Analytics 13
16 New Home Months of Inventory (Months) 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 Note: Seasonally adjusted and detrended. 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 Existing Home Months of Inventory (Months) Note: Seasonally adjusted and detrended. 14
140 120 Months of Inventory by Price Cohort (Months) $0-$99,999 $,000-$199,999 $200,000-$299,999 $300,000-$399,999 $400,000+ 60 40 20 0 Note: Seasonally adjusted and detrended. 14 12 Months of Inventory by Price Cohort (Months) $0-$99,999 $,000-$199,999 $200,000-$299,999 $300,000-$399,999 10 8 6 4 2 Note: Seasonally adjusted and detrended. 15
35 30 Months of Inventory by Price Cohort (Months) $0-$99,999 $,000-$199,999 $200,000-$299,999 $300,000-$399,999 $400,000+ 25 20 15 10 5 0 Note: Seasonally adjusted and detrended. 1 160 140 Months of Inventory by Price Cohort (Months) $0-$99,999 $,000-$199,999 $200,000-$299,999 $300,000-$399,999 $400,000+ 120 60 40 20 0 Note: Seasonally adjusted and detrended. 16
160 140 New Home Days on Market (Days) 120 60 40 20 Note: Seasonally adjusted and detrended. For single-family homes. 150 140 130 Existing Home Days on Market (Days) 120 110 90 70 60 50 Note: Seasonally adjusted and detrended. For single-family homes. 17
New Home Median Sales Price ($) 200,000 190,000 1,000 170,000 160,000 150,000 140,000 130,000 120,000 110,000 Jul-11 Jan-12 Jul-12 Jan-13 Jan-14 Jul-14 Jan-15 Jul-15 Jul-16 Jan-17 Jul-17 Note: Seasonally adjusted and detrended. For single-family homes. 1,000 170,000 160,000 Existing Home Median Sales Price ($) 150,000 140,000 130,000 120,000 110,000,000 90,000,000 Note: Seasonally adjusted and detrended. For single-family homes. 18
110 New Home Median Price Per Square Foot ($) 105 95 90 85 75 70 Note: Seasonally adjusted and detrended. For single-family homes. 95 90 Existing Home Median Price Per Square Foot ($) 85 75 70 65 60 55 Note: Seasonally adjusted and detrended. For single-family homes. 19
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