Lakshman Acuthan is keeping a “very close eye” on the home-price index. The managing director of the Economic Cycle Research Institute – contradicting Nariman Behravesh – called the index “the epicenter” of the U.S. growth slowdown. But he agreed with many analysts that the rise “isn’t consistent,” calling for four more months of results to be able to verify the housing market’s health.
In an exclusive cnbc.com interview with Karin Caifa, Acuthan predicted that toward the end of the first quarter and in the beginning of the second, the service sector will top expectations and industrials will fall short of views.