The Seasonal Trade On Home Builders Is Off to Its Worst Start Since 2009

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on March 28, 2016. Click here to read the entire piece.) Last December, I wrote about the shaky prospects for the seasonal trade on home builders. Sure enough, iShares US Home Construction (ITB) has not performed this badly on an absolute or … Read more

LGI Homes Breaks Out on March Closings Report

LGI Homes (LGIH) has been trapped underneath its 200-day moving average (DMA) for the entire year of 2016. Earnings reports and closing reports could not re-ignite last year’s enthusiasm in the stock. Finally, the report on March closings did the trick. In response to the March closing report, LGIH soared 12.7% on almost three times … Read more

Housing Market Review – Slowing Momentum (March, 2016)

The last Housing Market Review covered data released in February, 2016. At the time, sentiment and data ahead of the Spring selling season was not as strong as I had anticipated. The iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB) has gained little since then and has even stalled out at resistance at its 200-day moving average … Read more

T2108 Update (March 18, 2016) – A Different Kind Of Market Breakout

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. It helps to identify extremes in market sentiment that are likely to reverse. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page. You can follow real-time T2108 commentary on twitter using the #T2108 hashtag. T2108-related trades and other trades are … Read more

Housing Market Review – A Struggle for Rebirth Ahead of Spring (February, 2016)

The last Housing Market Review covered data released in January, 2016. At the time, I warily looked at a nervous market and insisted that the steep decline in the iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB) and individual home builder stocks presented a great buying opportunity. I was conservative in my expectations including looking out to … Read more

T2108 Update (March 4, 2016) – The Underlying Bullishness of the S&P 500’s Melt Up to 1999.99

(T2108 measures the percentage of stocks trading above their respective 40-day moving averages [DMAs]. It helps to identify extremes in market sentiment that are likely to reverse. To learn more about it, see my T2108 Resource Page. You can follow real-time T2108 commentary on twitter using the #T2108 hashtag. T2108-related trades and other trades are … Read more

Housing Market Review – Crossroads: Past Strength Versus Nervous Future (January, 2016)

The last Housing Market Review covered data released in December, 2015. At the time, I saw the market coiling like a spring. Instead of springing forth, housing market stocks are in big retreat. Recession fears likely have a lot to do with the declines. The iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB) is now down a … Read more

KB Home Stinks the Neighborhood Again, But I Am Holding My Nose This Time

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on January 19, 2016. Click here to read the entire piece.) A year ago, KB Home (KBH) reported Q4 2014 earnings that greatly disappointed financial markets. The stock lost 16% in the immediate aftermath. The stock took 5 months to recover only … Read more

The Seasonal Trade On Home Builders Faces Shaky Prospects

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on December 13, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) Almost a month ago, analysts from KBW described a seasonal trade on home builders. {snip} I took a slightly different perspective on this seasonality to make the pattern stand out and … Read more

Tri Pointe Group Puts Its Balance Sheet On the Line

In its Q3 2015 earnings report, TRI Pointe Group, Inc. (TPH) reported $97.0M in cash and cash equivalents. Thanks to real estate inventories, total assets come to $3.1B. Source: TRI Pointe Group, Inc. On January 27, 2016, TPH decided to put that balance sheet on the line by authorizing a buyback of $100M that is … Read more