Toll Brothers: Examining the Mystery of the Stock’s Weakness

“Haters gonna hate.” That phrase was a great way for CNBC’s Jim Cramer to begin his monologue introducing his interview with Toll Brothers CEO Douglas C. Yearley. In 2018, investors have exhibited plenty of loathing for the stocks of home builders despite an on-going string of strong earnings results and the backdrop of a strong … Read more

Housing Market Review (August, 2018) – Worsening Affordability Issues Add to Weakening Data

I saw a flicker of hope for home builders in the May Housing Market Review. Traders decided to snuff that flicker out very quickly afterward. When I wrote June’s housing market review and described a “struggling flicker,” the iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB) was once again bouncing off the bottom of 2018’s trading range. … Read more

Toll Brothers: Strong Financials, Buybacks…and Housing Jitters

Toll Brothers (TOL) is more than halfway through reversing a surprising post-earnings gap up a week and a half ago. The 13.8% post-earnings gain surprised me because the message from TOL was little different than its messages in the past two earnings reports that have coincided with an extended sell-off in the stock. Source: FreeStockCharts.com … Read more

Housing Market Review (June, 2018) – A Struggling Flicker As New and Existing Home Markets Diverge

I saw a flicker of hope for home builders in the last Housing Market Review. Traders decided to snuff that flicker out very quickly afterward. Breakouts transformed into new tops and now the struggling flicker comes from home builder stocks holding support. The short-term path ahead looks like chop at best, especially with the latest … Read more

Lennar: Holding Critical Support As A Bullish Case Struggles to Reassert Itself

When Lennar (LEN) reported earnings on April 4th the market’s reaction looked just like the refresher the market needed to get housing stocks going again. LEN soared 10.0% on the day. The deal looked sealed when LEN appeared to confirm the surge with another up day. LEN has suffered severe selling pressure ever since. Source: … Read more

Higher Interest Rates Pound Home Builders Into Bearish Territory

The Housing Market Index (HMI) for May increased to 70 and is just 4 points off its post-recession high set last December. Just don’t tell investors home builders are as confident as ever despite rising rates. Today, the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury bond soared to its highest level in 7 years and settled … Read more

More Good Deeds Punished: LGI Homes Delivers Solid Earnings and Gets Back A Vicious Fade

Management for LGI Homes (LGIH) set aside an hour for its Q1 2018 earnings conference call. They only needed 37 minutes, including 23 minutes spent on Q&A. Perhaps they should have used the entire hour. Source: FreeStockCharts.com As the chart above shows, LGIH has had a wild two days following its earnings report. The first … Read more

KB Home: A Bearish Breakdown Rewards Managing Guidance Higher

For the second time in a row, KB Home (KBH) is struggling to benefit from a strong earnings report. In January, investors rushed into the stock post-earnings only to create a massive blow-off top. In March, sellers started fading the stock on the same day of the initial post-earnings pop. Last week, KBH broke down … Read more

Housing Market Review (March, 2018) – Breakdown Confirmed, Slivers of Remaining Support

The last Housing Market Review covered data reported in February, 2018 for January, 2018. At the time, I connected the dots on the bearish implications of converging technicals and fundamentals. The iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB) actually managed to hold onto support at its 200-day moving average…until today. So not only is the seasonal … Read more

A Busted Seasonal Trade for Home Builders

The seasonal trade on home builders for 2017/2018 showed its first sign of trouble when the iShares US Home Construction (ITB) fell sharply off its 10+ year high in January on the same day the S&P 500 (SPY) set a new (and its last) all-time high. Almost two weeks later, in early February, the under-performance … Read more