Company: RITM-PC
Filing Date: 2025-02-18
Form Type: 10-K
Source: 0001556593-25-000007
Chunk: 156

Company: Rithm Capital Corp.
Filing Date: 2025-02-18
Form: 10-K
Item: Item 7
Chunk 156
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% in September 2024 and 3.88% at the end of 2023. Most of this increase was due to higher real yields from TIPS, which rose to 2.23% in December 2024 from 1.59% in September 2024 and 1.71% at the end of 2023. The 10-year breakeven inflation rate was 2.34% in December 2024 versus 2.19% in September 2024 and 2.17% at the end of 2023.

Labor Markets

Average payroll growth picked up to 170,000 jobs per month in the fourth quarter versus an average of 159,000 jobs per month in the third quarter. For 2024, payroll rose an average of 186,000 per month versus 251,000 per month in 2023. The unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.1% in December 2024 compared to September 2024, however, 0.3% higher from December 2023. Judged by the ratio of job openings to unemployed job seekers, which rose to 1.18 in December 2024 from 1.06 in September 2024, the labor market tightened during the fourth quarter; however, improved overall over the course of 2024 when compared to December 2023 ratio of 1.45. Also, year-over-year growth in average hourly earnings was 3.9% in December 2024, the same wage rate as for September 2024, but slower than the 4.3% wage growth reported for December 2023.

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Housing Market

Home sales remained at low levels in 2024 as total home sales (new and existing) averaged 4.75 million, which is relatively unchanged from the average of 4.77 million for 2023. However, home price growth picked up with the 12-month increase in the median resale price of an existing home at 6.0% in December 2024 compared to 4.1% in December 2023.

The economic conditions discussed above influence our investment strategy and results. The Federal Open Market Committee (“FOMC”) lowered the federal funds rate target range by 25 basis points on December 18, 2024 but projected fewer 2025 rate cuts compared to its projections made in September 2024. Additionally, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell signaled that the recalibration phase of lowering the