Final April Consumer Sentiment increases to 76.4

Click on graph for larger image.

The final Reuters / University of Michigan consumer sentiment index for April increased to 76.4 from the preliminary reading of 72.3, but down from the March reading of 78.6.

This was above the consensus forecast of 73.0, but still fairly low. There are a number of factors that impact sentiment including unemployment, gasoline prices and, for 2013, the payroll tax increase and even politics (sequestration, etc).  

Sentiment is mostly moving sideways over the last year at a fairly low level (with ups and downs).

Real GDP increased 2.5% Annualized in Q1

From the BEA:

Real gross domestic product -- the output of goods and services produced by labor and property located in the United States -- increased at an annual rate of 2.5 percent in the first quarter of 2013 (that is, from the fourth quarter to the first quarter), according to the "advance" estimate released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. In the fourth quarter, real GDP increased 0.4 percent.

The increase in real GDP in the first quarter primarily reflected positive contributions from personal consumption expenditures (PCE), private inventory investment, exports, residential investment, and nonresidential fixed investment that were partly offset by negative contributions from federal government spending and state and local government spending. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased.

Personal consumption expenditures (PCE) increased at a 3.2% annualized rate, and residential investment increased 12.6%.  However equipment and software increased only 3.0%, and non-residential investment in structures declined slightly. 

"Change in private inventories" added 1.03 percentage points to GDP in Q1 (reversing most of the decline last quarter), and the Federal government subtracted 0.65 percentage points (mostly a decrease in defense spending).  State and local governments continued to decline.

This was below expectations of a 3.1% growth rate, but domestic demand was decent with PCE and private investment increasing. I'll have more on GDP later ...

Friday: Q1 GDP

An interesting piece from Michelle Meyer at Merrill Lynch: Housing watch: Who are the buyers?

One of the common misconceptions is that the gain in housing demand owes primarily to investors and international buyers. In Q1, investors made up about 22% of sales, which is close to the average since mid-2010. International buyers made up about 2% of sales in Q1, which again matches the historical average over the past three years. Of course, in certain markets investors and international buyers play a bigger role. Investors buy a disproportionate share of distressed properties, making them more relevant in markets with high delinquencies. Similarly, in big cities such as New York, Miami and San Francisco, international buyers account for a much larger share of sales.

Primary homebuyers are still the largest share of the market, by far. However, the constraint for primary homebuyers is tight credit conditions. This has resulted in a greater share of all-cash purchases. Over 20% of buyers who are looking to relocate (turnover) and 60% of second home buyers use only cash. First-time homebuyers are still reliant on financing as only 11% of sales are all cash among this cohort. And of course, the most extreme is investors and international buyers where about three-quarters of purchases are all-cash. All together, about a third of sales are made without financing. As credit conditions gradually ease, which we anticipate, the housing market will open to a wider range of buyers, particularly first-time owners.
emphasis added

Meyer argues a large percentage of the cash buyers are not investors.

Friday economic releases:
• At 8:30 AM ET, the BEA will release the advance Q1 GDP report. The consensus is that real GDP increased 3.1% annualized in Q1.

• At 9:55 AM, Reuter's/University of Michigan's Consumer sentiment index (final for April). The consensus is for a reading of 73.0, up from 72.3.

WSJ: "Unemployment Hits New Highs in Spain, France"

This is no surprise ... from the WSJ: Unemployment Hits New Highs in Spain, France

The jobless rate in Spain rose sharply to 27.2% of the workforce in the first quarter, the highest level since records began in the 1970s. In France, the number of registered job seekers who are fully unemployed rose to more than 3.2 million, topping a previous record set in 1997.
...
Last week, the International Monetary Fund joined the U.S. in saying the euro zone should ease up on belt-tightening, arguing it was holding back the global economic recovery and could end up being self-defeating. The head of the European Commission said Monday the policy had "reached its limits."

Maybe, just maybe, policymakers in Europe will get the message that the almost singular focus on deficit reduction has been a policy mistake.