The Quikrete Industry Dashboard

Existing-home sales are the major metric seeing fresh data this week.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported on Feb. 22 that total existing-home sales moved ahead by 3.1% to a seasonally adjusted rate of 4 million in January compared to the prior month. 

This includes completed transactions for single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums, and co-ops.

Existing single-family home sales also moved higher to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.6 million in January, up 3.4% from 3.48 million in December but down 1.4% from the prior year. 

But home prices also gained ground in January. The median existing-home price for all housing types in January was $379,100, an increase of 5.1% from one year ago and a median price of $360,800. The median existing single-family home price was $383,500 in January, up 5% from January 2023.

At gas stations, the national average price for a gallon of diesel fuel slipped to $4.09 per gallon on Feb. 23 compared to a cost of $4.10 a week ago, according to AAA. One month ago, the average price for diesel was at $3.96 but stood at $4.47 per gallon one year ago.

On a national average basis, one gallon of regular fuel was down to $3.26 on Feb. 23 from $3.28 in the prior week. The average price was about $3.08 one month ago, however.

Next week, the Conference Board will release the latest Consumer Confidence Index featuring February's numbers.