December 23, 2025
‘Tis the season to be jolly. And certainly, the retail industry is hoping that the consumer is feeling quite jolly as the holiday season and the year come to a close. It is estimated that close to 20% of all retail sales happen during this time and anything short of that would be an economic disappointment – not to mention the disappointment of lighter stockings hanging on mantels. This holiday season comes with an air of economic uncertainty, especially considering the government shut down which ended just before the holiday season got underway.
One of the results of the shutdown was the absence of the October jobs report and a delayed November report. The November report is typically issued on the first Friday of December, but instead it was issued last Tuesday, December 16th. Every month, the jobs report contains some of the most significant data released by the government. Many would consider it the most important monthly report. This particular report carried even more significance in light of the fact that the October report was not released, in addition to the fact that we had releases showing private payroll data as extremely weak.
So, how did the numbers look? In November, the economy added 64,000 jobs. In October, the economy lost 105,000 jobs reflecting the bulk of government layoffs. August and September’s numbers were revised downward by 33,000 jobs. The unemployment rate rose to 4.6% from 4.4% as reported in September – the highest reading since September 2021. In addition, wages rose 0.1% month-over-month and 3.5% annually, both lower than expected. Subject to revision, at this point the economy has added approximately 575,000 jobs year-to-date, compared to approximately 1.5 million jobs added in 2024 after downward revisions. This points to a much slower employment market. Let’s hope that the slower growth in jobs did not put a damper on the holiday sales.
Source: Origination Pro
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Pick A Term
The creation of the “PICK A TERM” mortgage loan product was to accommodate so many borrowers dilemma in whether to refinance or not. Because of the standard 10, 15, 20 and 30 year terms, many borrowers in order to get the benefit of today’s great rates would be forced to either increase their payment because they had to pick a shorter term or ultimately add years to their loan. With the advent of this product, a borrower ultimately can “have their cake and eat it too” creating a win-win for the borrower. Since borrower can choose the term of the loan, usually the same number of years left on their current loan, they ultimately get the benefit of a lower rate, lower payment without increasing the life of the loan.
Through PICK A TERM, Amerimutual Mortgage tailors the term of your loan to best fit your situation. We have the program that is right for you!