Lara Rhame Housing Quotations

Today's report was a case of familiar culprits -- apparel prices continue to put downward pressure on inflation, and housing and medical care continue to put upward pressure on inflation.

If we're in a situation where rates are higher because the economy's great, the housing market is going to be last thing I'll be worried about.

You had big components down that should not be down, such as appliances, furniture and building materials. These should be stronger given the robust housing market.

The weaker-than-expected housing number still leaves housing at a fairly high level of activity but will raise some eyebrows as markets worry about the (Federal Reserve) overshooting (with rate hikes).

As the economy gets more and more dependent on housing being the key driver of growth, the economy becomes more and more vulnerable to that sector slowing down.

I don't think there's really any doubt the housing market remains extremely robust and growing. I had expected housing to fade. Now that we're out of recession, I don't really know what would knock it down at this point.