While the Case-Shiller index reported earlier was weaker than had been expected, and the 20 City composite index posted its third monthly decline in a row, the headline hid a wide dispersion of home prices beneath the surface.
Perhaps just to underscore this point, Case-Shiller also provided a handy chart showing the best and worst cities for home prices in the US.
It will come as no surprise that the west, with San Diego, is where the gains are still frothiest: after all the Chinese "hot money" exporters are rushing to park their funds before the exit door slams shut, and are doing so as close to home as possible.
What was surprising is the other end of the spectrum, because as Case-Shiller clearly shows, Detroit - after staging a brief dead cat bounce in the aftermath of its bankruptcy and since sliding once again - may no longer be the worst city for home prices in the US. It has now been displaced by a city which many speculate will be nothing short of the "next Detroit."
[4]
The silver lining: while Chicago home prices have been sliding for the past 4 months, they are still up compared to last year... if only for the time being.
[5]
