Author: Brad Beckett

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) recently released their 2024 Internet Crime report which offers critical insights into the cyber threat landscape based on aggregated data from reported complaints.  The FBI says that in 2024, the top three cyber crimes by number of reported complaints were phishing/spoofing, extortion, and personal data breaches.  In addition, victims of investment fraud, specifically those involving cryptocurrency, reported the most losses—totaling over $6.5 billion. “Reporting is one of the first and most important steps in fighting crime so law enforcement can use this information to combat a variety of frauds and…

According to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 177k in April, 2025 with the unemployment rate coming in at 4.2% – about the same as March.  In addition, the report says employment continued to trend up in health care, transportation and warehousing, financial activities, and social assistance.  Once again, employment with the government saw big declines. Click here to read the full report at the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The U.S. government is reporting that total construction spending in March, 2025 was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $2,196.1 billion, down 0.5% from February’s revised number.  However, March’s estimate is 2.8% higher than one year ago.  Residential construction came in at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $937.7 billion in March, which is 0.4% lower than February’s revised estimate. Click here to read the full report at the U.S. Census Bureau.

It will come as no surprise to many that in 2024, the Ford F-Series truck was the best-selling vehicle in a majority of U.S. States.  Using data form Edmunds, today’s graphic from the Visual Capitalist illustrates the best selling car in every state.  Stay safe and have a Happy Friday!!! Hat tip to the Visual Capitalist.

According to the latest Federal Housing Finance Agency’s (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI), home prices were up 3.9% from February 2024 to February 2025, after rising 0.1% in February.  The FHFA HPI is the nation’s only collection of public, freely available house price indexes that measure changes in single-family home values based on data from all 50 states and over 400 American cities that extend back to the mid-1970s. Click here to read the full report at the FHFA.

According to their “advance” estimate, the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis is reporting that America’s real gross domestic product (GDP) decreased at an annual rate of 0.3% in Q4 2024. Click here to read the full report at the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.

According to the ADP National Employment Report for April, 2025, private sector employment increased by 62k jobs and annual pay was up 4.5% year-over-year. The ADP National Employment Report is an independent and high-frequency view of the private-sector labor market based on the aggregated and anonymized payroll data of more than 25 million U.S. employees. “Unease is the word of the day. Employers are trying to reconcile policy and consumer uncertainty with a run of mostly positive economic data…It can be difficult to make hiring decisions in such an environment”  Said ADP chief economist Dr. Nela Richardson. Click here to…

The latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index reported a 3.9% annual increase for February, 2025.  Their 10-City Composite increased 5.2% and their 20-City Composite increased 4.5%, year-over-year. “Even with mortgage rates remaining in the mid-6% range and affordability challenges lingering, home prices have shown notable resilience…Buyer demand has certainly cooled compared to the frenzied pace of prior years, but limited housing supply continues to underpin prices in most markets. Rather than broad declines, we are seeing a slower, more sustainable pace of price growth”   Said Nicholas Godec, CFA, CAIA, CIPM, Head of Fixed Income Tradables &…

Rental information site Zumper recently released their latest monthly National Rent Report for April, 2025.  According to their data, median rent for 1-bedroom apartments was $1517 (down 0.5%) and $1,901 (down 0.1%) for two-bedrooms. Be sure to check out their list of the top 100 metro areas. “With so much new supply coming online over the past 12 months, we’re seeing renters able to move up market…That movement frees up inventory at lower price points, creating a ripple effect of affordability. However if demand holds steady while new construction continues to taper off, we could see rents pick back up…

The National Association of Realtors is reporting that pending home sales rose 6.1% in in March, 2025. The NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index (a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings) came in at 76.5 in March. “Home buyers are acutely sensitive to even minor fluctuations in mortgage rates…While contract signings are not a guarantee of eventual closings, the solid rise in pending home sales implies a sizable build-up of potential home buyers, fueled by ongoing job growth.”  Said the NAR’s Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. Click here to read the full report at the NAR.