Economic update for the month ending September 30, 2018

Economic update for the month ending September 30, 2018

U.S. Economy adds 134,000 new jobs in September – Unemployment rate dropped to the lowest level since 1969:

U.S. Department of Labor
U.S. Department of Labor

The Department of Labor Statistics reported that U. S. employers added 134,000 new jobs in September. That was below the 185,000 that analysts had estimated, yet even though job creation fell to its lowest level in a year the unemployment rate dropped to its lowest level in 49 years. The national unemployment rate in September was 3.7%, down from 3.9% in August. Average hourly wages rose 2.8% year over year from last September. That was slightly lower than last month when average hourly wages increased 2.9% from last August.

California employers add 44,800 new jobs in August:

The California Employment Development Department reported that 44,800 new jobs were added in August. The unemployment rate held steady at a record low of 4.2%, down from 4.6% last August. Average hourly wages  grew 3.1% year over year, their largest year over year increase since last October. Los Angeles and Orange County average hourly earnings grew 5.4% from last August. 

 Stock Market Update:

NYSE-NEW YORK, NY

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the month at 26,458.31, down from 25,964.62 last month. It is up 7% year to date. The S&P 500 closed the month at 2,913.98, down from 2,901.52 on August 31 It’s up 9% year to date. The NASDAQ closed the month at 8,046.35, down from 8,109.54 last month. It’s up 16% year to date.

Treasury Bond Yields rise: 

The 10-year treasury bond closed the month yielding 3.05%, up from 2.86% on August 31, 2018. The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the month at 3.19%, up from 3.02% at the end of August.

Mortgage rates higher in September: 

The September 27, 2018 Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that the 30-year fixed mortgage rate average was 4.72%, up from 4.52% on August 30, 2018. The 15-year fixed was 4.16%, up  from 3.97% in August 30. The 5-year ARM was 3.97%, up from 3.85% last month.

Consumer Confidence at highest level hits 18 year high in September:

The U.S. Consumer Confidence Index hit its highest level since 2000 this week according to data from the Conference Board’s September survey.

New home sales rebound in August:

The Commerce Department reported that sales of new homes increased 3.6% in August from July on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate. Year over year the number of new homes sold in August increased 12.7% from August 2017. The median price paid for a new home increased 1.9% from one year ago.

California existing home sales numbers drop in August – Prices continue to rise:

The California Association of Realtors reported this week that the number of existing home sales dropped in August to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of 399,600. It was the fourth straight month of sales declines and the first time in over two years that the number of existing home sales dropped below the benchmark 400,000 level. The median price of a home in California rose to $596,410, up 6.6% from August 2017. On a regional basis the Los Angeles County median price rose 6.4%, Orange County rose 6,3%, and Ventura County rose 3.1% from last August. Housing inventory levels rose 17.2% from one year ago, the fifth straight month of housing supply increases. The unsold inventory index in August was a 3.3 month supply of homes listed for sale, up from 2.9 months in August 2017.

U.S. existing home sales:

The National Association of Realtors reported that total existing home sales equaled 5.34 million on a seasonally annualized rate, down 1.5% from August 2017. The nation wide median price grew 4.6% in August compared to one year ago marking the 78th straight month of year over year increases in the median price. Total housing inventory also increased. There was a 4.3 month supply of active listings in August, up from a 4.1 month supply in August 2017.

Have a great week!

-Syd

13 Spookiest Movies on Netflix for Oct. ’18

Grab your popcorn, comfort blanket, and sit tight. It’s the best time of the year to watch the spookiest flicks streaming right now. Whether your more on the Hocus Pocus(sidetone: no Hocus Pocus on Netflix–but it’s playing at El Capitan Theatre ALL of October) side or wish to take a chance with the cringeworthy, there are plenty of options to chose this fall.

 1. Hold the Dark

Hold the Dark
Hold the Dark

Hold the Dark will leave you with your fair share of chills, and not just because it’s set in Alaska. Jeremy Saulnier’s psychological thriller stars Westworld‘s Jeffrey Wright as a retired wolf expert who receives a disturbing letter from a grieving mother (Riley Keough), pleading with him to investigate the wolves that she thinks killed her son in their small Alaskan village. He agrees to go but soon finds himself tangled up in a web far more dangerous than he ever could have expected

2. Veronica

Veronica
Veronica

In Veronica, which is based on true events, a high-schooler decides to experiment with a Ouija board with some of her classmates but ends up getting followed home by an evil spirit. As her and her siblings’ sanity begins to crumble due to the haunting, you’ll find yourself questioning what’s actually real and what’s in Veronica’s imagination.

 3. Malevolent

Malevolent
Malevolent

A brother and sister earn a living by faking scary paranormal occurrences for cash, but when they’re tasked with investigating some strange phenomena at a supposedly haunted estate, things take a turn for the worse.

4. The Ravenous

Ravenous
Ravenous

This is actually a pretty introspective and beautiful movie, as far as films in the zombie genre go. That being said, watching a small group of desperate survivors attempt to navigate the aftermath of a zombie-like outbreak in rural Quebec is going to come with some nauseating moments.

5. The Conjuring

The Conjuring
The Conjuring

If you haven’t seen modern-day horror classic The Conjuring yet, I’m honestly a little jealous you get to experience the film’s excellent thrills and chills for the first time. It’s a superb entry into the genre, following a family of young women possessed by the demonic spirit of a murdered witch who used to live on their property and the paranormal investigators who set out to help them.

6. Children of the Corn

Children of the Corn
Children of the Corn

Even Stephen King’s short stories translate to terrifying, full-length pictures. Children of the Corn is about a group of murderous children, so expect to say goodbye to restful sleep for a bit.

7. The Haunting of Hill House

The Haunting of Hill House
The Haunting of Hill House

No, Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House isn’t a movie. But I would be remiss if I didn’t include the upcoming 10-episode series, which is just as scary as any of the streaming giant’s selection of horror movies. Billed as a “reimagining” of Shirley Jackson’s iconic 1953 novel, the show follows five siblings who grew up in America’s most famous haunted house and how the home’s deadly secrets are still plaguing them decades later. Mike Flanagan (HushOculusGerald’s Game) is on board as director and executive producer, while the cast is led by Michiel Huisman, Carla Gugino, Timothy Hutton, Elizabeth Reaser, Kate Siegel, McKenna Grace, and more.

8. Apostle

Apostle
Apostle

Occult horror-thriller Apostle stars Beauty and the Beast‘s Dan Stevens as Thomas Richardson, who returns home to London in 1905, only to discover that his sister has been captured by a cult led by the dangerously charismatic Prophet Malcolm (Michael Sheen) and is being held for ransom. Thomas sets out to rescue his sister, infiltrating the cult’s island community and eventually uncovering an evil secret.

9. Hush

Hush
Hush

Easily one of the best horror movies to come out of Netflix’s original slate, 2016’s Hush follows a deaf writer over the course of one night as she’s hunted by a masked maniac. Prepare for multiple people getting shot by a crossbow — King Joffrey-style.

10. Train to Busan

Train to Busan
Train to Busan

This South Korean zombie movie was a box office hit, for good reason. The terrifyingly claustrophobic horror film centers on a father and daughter who must survive a gory outbreak of the undead on a lengthy train journey to the country’s only remaining safe city.

11. The Reaping

The Reaping
The Reaping

Hilary Swank stars as a former missionary who loses her faith after the tragic deaths of her family members and now makes a living debunking religious phenomena. That’s what brings her to the Louisiana swamp, where a series of biblical plagues are destroying a small town with evil at its center.

12. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina the Teenage Witch
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina 

Netflix gives Sabrina the Teenage Witch a very, very creepy new makeover in Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which sees the titular witch (Mad Men‘s Kiernan Shipka) on the cusp of celebrating her 16th birthday when she has to sign her soul away to the devil. The trailer evokes old-school horror movies like Rosemary’s Baby and The Exorcist, so even though familiar faces like Harvey Kinkle (Ross Lynch), Aunt Hilda (Lucy Davis), and Aunt Zelda (Miranda Otto) make appearances, this is going to be a totally different series than the one Melissa Joan Hart starred in years ago.

13. The Shining

The Shining
The Shining

A writer’s decision to spend the Winter at a deserted hotel with his wife and son majorly backfires when it becomes clear that they’re definitely not alone in the grand building — but they’re not accompanied by the living, either.

Enjoy the feature and beware!

Captions and content Curated by PopSugar, Simplified by us.

Weekend Events: Sept 28th-30th

Celebrate LA!
By: Samira Murphy

Are you ready for it? The most ghoulish time of the year is around the corner. You have your seasonal decor on cue and your already contemplating how soon is too soon to buy all things Pumpkin Spice. No fret, we’ve got you covered. Swing into the fall spirit with these events happening in and around L.A. Some spook worthy, some just plain fun.

With all the hustle and bustle of our weekday routine we bring you a curated list of the weekends top activities happening throughout the city of stars.

Discover your inner Angeleno!

Limited engagements taking place this Sept. 28th-30th features the return of the Dino Fest at The National History Museum to the spooktacular Haunted Hayride in Griffith Park . Read below for a breakdown of the weekend events.

Friday sept. 28th

It’s Friday night and if your like most of us, your looking to ease into the weekend not bungee jump.

Beck @ The Hollywood Bowl
Weekend Event: Beck @ The Hollywood Bowl

It’s not too late to grab tickets to Beck and the Hollywood Bowl. Pick-up a Picnic to go from Joan’s on 3rd and sit out under the stars as you listen to the Grammy Award winner’s best works. With hits as diverse as the Dadaist anthems of Odelay through the classic Californian songcraft of Grammy® Album of the Year Morning Phase to his current gem, Colors, the Beck catalogue is sure to receive a thorough airing during a magical night at the Bowl. Show starts at 7:30 pm and tickets are available here.

Theatricum Botanicum
Weekend Event: Theatricum Botanicum

Wanting a little closer to the other side of the hill? No need to make the drive because Theatricum  Botanicum is hosting their “Under the Oaks” concert series featuring the Composer’s Collective. An annual concert presenting new works and beloved classics by some of LA’s most popular and innovative musicians of television, movies, the concert hall, and more. Find yourself surround by sounds and nature in Topanga’s favorite outdoor theatre venue. Tickets and additional information are available here.

Saturday Sept. 29th
Dino Fest @ The National History Museum of Los Angles
Weekend Event: Dino Fest @ The National History Museum of Los Angles

Spend your weekend with the original terror titans–it’s the return of Dinofest at the National History Museum! Fun for the whole family, explore the prehistoric world of our Dino friends. Taking place for two days only, visitors will meet Museum scientists and see rarely exhibited objects, take part in hands-on activities for the entire family, enjoy a Dino Encounters Show, and meet and greet with Buddy the Dinosaur from the PBS hit show Dinosaur Train from 10am-2pm each day. Buy your tickets online and receive a limited-edition dinosaur pin at the door, while supplies last. For more info click here.

Haunted Hayride @ Griffith Park
Weekend Event: Haunted Hayride @ Griffith Park

Looking for something a bit more haunting? In it’s 10th year, the Haunted Hayride at Griffith Park is sure to give a spook. Filled with all sorts of ghastly ghouls and monsters alike-patrons will find themselves on a frightful journey through the old L.A. Zoo. Too chilling? The “scary-go-round” for wee ones (and ‘fraidy cats)is also on site, as well as a number of scare zones and a even a pitch black maze filled with “demons and maniacs” of the night. For more details be warned and click here.

Sunday Sept. 30th

CELEBRATE LA!

Celebrate LA!
Weekend Event: Celebrate LA!

In what is likely the best way to discover our L.A. neighborhoods with all day fun for the entire family is the LA Phil’s 100th Anniversary celebration-Celebrate LA!. Stretching from the Walt Disney Concert Hall to the Hollywood Bowl, this FREE music filled fest features over 1,800 musicians, artists and dancers that will perform at six pedestrian hubs across the eight-mile route, including Dâm-Funk, Dengue Fever, Dustbowl Revival, Jeff Goldblum, Ozomatli and Rivers Cuomo. So bike, walk, or skate your way down and don’t miss out on this history making event. For more info click here. 

Abbot Kinney Festival
Weekend Event: Abbot Kinney Festival

Prefer to stay on the Westside? It’s a weekend of festivals citywide, because Abbot Kinney is hosting their annual street fair this Sunday too!

“The Abbot Kinney Festival in Venice, California, spans world-famous Abbot Kinney Boulevard, dubbed the coolest block in America by GQ Magazine. The mile-long street’s eclectic boutiques and artisan eateries infuse the festival with local Venice flavor. Occurring each year on the last Sunday in September, this highly anticipated summertime tradition is 34 years strong”.

This year pursue through dozens of food trucks and vendors, as well as four live music stages. See what makes Abbot Kinney so “Quintessentially L.A.” , Click here for more info.

Out and About: Beverly Hills Edition

By: Samira Murphy

Every so often, at some point in your busy week, it happens–you get to play tourist for the day. Whether its hopping in the car for a scenic drive down the coast or popping into Fred Segal’s for an afternoon nosh, “me time” is so crucial. 

Once a week, we will cut the clutter and provide you with hidden gems in the city of stars and beyond. From Beverly Hills to the San Fernando Valley, take time to explore your neck of the woods!

“Beverly Hills what a thrill!”

Troop Beverly Hills
Troop Beverly Hills

Outside the glitz and glam of Rodeo drive, there are quite a few iconic points of interest in the 90210.

If one feels like taking a trip down tinsel town lane, Greystone Mansion or the Virginia Robinson Gardens prove to be an ideal way to spend the better part of your day.

Brimming with a rich history of yesteryears, these homes still stand as the Icons of their area code.

Greystone Mansion
Greystone Mansion

Greystone Mansion host many events throughout the year, from music in the garden to theatrical productions.

Upcoming soirees include Twilight on the Terrace-Sept. 30th from 4-7pm and Tour of the Best Kept Secret-Nov. 11th 11:00am-3:30pm. Or one can pursue around on their own accord daily from 10am-5pm(excluding holidays). For more info click here.

Not stopping short on the Tour de BH, the Virginia Robinson Gardens serves as the city’s first luxury estate. It does so by treating its visitors with an illustrious peak at its rich history by advance bookings only.

Virginia Robinson Gardens
Virginia Robinson Gardens

What’s so appeasing about this tour over the next? The Virginia Robinson Garden tours are Docent led. Taking visitors through six acres of unique botanical garden, including the largest collection of King Palms in the Western Hemisphere. Similar to Greystone, Robinson Gardens also host a series of events. From intimate lectures with notable members of the community to botanical illustration classes, there’s something for all to enjoy.

Most recently, they hosted their annual Friends of Robinson Gardens Gala that recognized, our own Syd Leibovitch, President and Founder of Rodeo Realty with the Spirit of Beverly Hills Award.

For more info on tour dates and events click here.

Wanting a little more fresh air? Why not stroll down the recently restored Beverly Gardens park and Bridle path?

Beverly Gardens Park
Beverly Gardens Park

Originally developed in 1907, the park is in its final stages of competition, with the majority of the 23 blocks having been made completely over. Notable landmarks include the Electric and Doheny Fountains, the Cactus Garden and the Alta Arden Pergola Garden. From Wilshire to Doheny, it’s the perfect daytime stroll.

Feeling like a splurge? You don’t have to break the bank too much with this recent shopping edition to the Golden Triangle.

Im sure you’ve seen the long ambiguous line forming around the corner of the MGM Offices? Is everyone waiting for the new iPhone? Not quite.

260 LA
260 LA

260 LA joined the neighborhood last year but has in the past month moved to a a new location, taking over the former space of Maxfield Bleu. And what is 260 LA, you may ask or already know…It’s a sample sale paradise for you inner fashion guru. Each week the shop host different designer sample sales, from Oscar de la Renta, to Moncler. Sign up for their newsletter to be in the know of whose next or pop in Tuesday-Sunday. More info here.

While in the vicinity of Rodeo Drive, take a short trip to Galerie Michael. Here you’ll find their latest works on display featuring the art of the greats captured  on canvas.

Galerie Michael is tucked up along the cobble stone of Rodeo’s more European corner. Prior featured artists included Salvador Dali and Picasso, with the Marc Chagall exhibit being their current installation. For museum times and info click here.

After all the site seeing, shopping, and strolls, there is no shortage of cuisine options in this iconic area code.

Taco Tuesdays @ Peninsula Hotel Beverly Hills
Taco Tuesdays @ Peninsula Hotel Beverly Hills

Whether you opt to break up the day with a afternoon bite at La Scala or prefer to take in the rooftop scenes later in the day during the Peninsula’s Taco Tuesday, the best way to know what’s cravings worthy in Beverly Hills is by READING OUR BLOG.

Just kidding!

You can also stay about to date with all things Beverly Hills by visiting the Love Beverly Hills website. There you’ll find limited engagements, restaurant deals and updates, as well as other neighborhood facts to keep you in the know.

New to the neighborhood!! Pacific Palisades Village opens!

By: Samira Murphy

Your seaside shopping options just got glitzier. Pacific Palisades Village has finally opened with no shortage of luxury retail and dining options.

“Palisades Village is where shared moments between friends and family become traditions anew. Located in the heart of sunny Southern California, this bespoke walkable village is home to over 40 uniquely curated boutiques, entertainment and fresh food experiences. Come discover local, refined.”

Jen Meyer Jewelry
Jen Meyer Jewelry

An ideal distance for those living in the Palisades area, the shopping village provides locals with a more intimate array of options.

Hence, one will not find any department stores in this boutique paradise.

Rather, the village is offering  a unique line-up of high-end with designers like Jennifer Meyer and Rachel Zoe setting up shop.

Rachel ZoeRachel Zoe

 

Looking for a little zen?

Carbon 38 Fitness Series-Pacific Palisades Village
Carbon 38 Fitness Series @ The Park-Palisades Village

Carbon38 has that covered with their fitness series every Wednesday in October from 10am-11am in The Park.

What about fun for the kids?

Kids Club @ The Park-Pacific Palisades Village
Kids Club @ The Park-Palisades Village

They have that covered too!

Kids Club in The Park is hosting a weekly dose of music, entertainment, and story time beginning Sept. 25th through October 30th every Tuesday from 10am-12pm.

General Purpoise-Pacific Palisades Village
General Purpoise

But don’t let your stomach growl for too long because the dining options are as diverse as you cravings.

Most noteworthy are the mouth-watering doughnuts from James Beard Award-Winning chef Renee Erickson to the equally delectable bites found at Blue Ribbon Sushi.

Your inner foodie will be as happy as your inner shopaholic!

 Blue Ribbon Sushi-Pacific Palisades Village
Blue Ribbon Sushi

Whether your a local or driving down from the L.A. area, The Palisades Village is the quintessential seaside retreat, even if only to appease your inner tourist.

 

PALISADES VILLAGE
15225 PALISADES VILLAGE LN
PACIFIC PALISADES, CA 90272
310.525.1380

GENERAL HOURS

DAILY
10 AM – 8 PM

In search of your perfect seaside home? Visit our Rodeo Realty Pacific Palisades office at: 839 Vía De La Paz, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272