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Ask the
Economist
Tian Liu
Chief Economist, Genworth
Mortgage Insurance
T
ian Liu is the Chief Economist
at Genworth Mortgage Insurance,
responsible for tracking U.S. and
regional economic trends. He also
authors the company's Weekly Economic
Report, and provides regular updates on U.S.
and regional economies, as well as the housing
and mortgage market. He recently spoke
with DS News about what is in store for the
housing industry for the remainder of 2016.
We've heard predictions both ways on what
the housing market will look like for the
rest of 2016: On one hand, some say the
tight inventory combined with home price
appreciation and slow wage growth will
hamper affordability. Others are forecasting
improvements in inventory and wage growth
that will lead to a more robust housing
market. What do you think home buying will
look like for the rest of this year? at's a very
good question. You're actually asking it at the
right time because I think we are about to get into
the spring selling season. So it's a very important
time in the year for the housing market. In terms
of what we are seeing, let me start at the macro
level. At that level, we are seeing very strong
employment levels for the U.S. Basically, we are
at full employment. e unemployment rate
is about 5 percent. U.S consumers are in really
