Housing Market Review – Three Strikes Against the West (June, 2016)

The last Housing Market Review covered data reported in May, 2016 for April. At the time, the iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB) was experiencing a healthy rebound on the heels of strong data on new home sales. The rally came to a quick halt and had one more small burst in early June. I … Read more

Housing Market Review – All About the New Home Sales (May, 2016)

The last Housing Market Review covered data released in March, 2016. At the time, the iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB) was accompanying the market on an extended rally from the February lows. Resistance at the 200-day moving average (DMA) slowed down the advance. In April, ITB cleanly broke through resistance only to come to … Read more

Housing Market Review – The Seasonal Tailwind Winds Down (April, 2016)

The last Housing Market Review covered data released in March, 2016. At the time, the iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB) was accompanying the market on an extended rally from the February lows. Resistance at the 200-day moving average (DMA) slowed down the advance. THIS month, ITB cleanly broke through resistance only to come to … 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

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

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

Housing Market Review – A Coiled Spring (December, 2015)

The housing market is moving in slow motion. The recovery is in place but locked into low gear. Until conditions change materially, it makes sense to place my coverage of the overall housing market into a monthly cadence. The reporting loses a bit of timeliness, but it should gain more cohesiveness with more connected dots. … Read more

Strong Sentiment and Outlooks Support Out-performance of Homebuilder Stocks

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 28, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) While the S&P 500 (SPY) continues to languish in the aftermath of the flash crash and accompanying sell-off, the iShares US Home Construction (ITB) is still up 5.7% for the year … Read more

Hard to Blame the Weather for the Drop in Home Builder Sentiment

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on February 17, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) for February came in at 55. The biggest change in the index came from a large drop in the component … Read more

Residential Employment Plows Ahead As Housing Indicators Stabilize

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on May 5, 2014. Click here to read the entire piece.) The latest U.S. non-farm employment report showed another strong print for employment in residential construction. For the 31st month in a row, seasonally adjusted employment in residential construction showed year-over-year growth. … Read more