On the Edge Again – The Housing Market Review

on the edge (Credit: Construction of a solar passive house by Geres - Acting for climate solidarity on Flickr)

Housing Market Intro and Summary June’s housing market showed some evidence of slight cooling with the Spring selling season in its late stages. July’s housing data showed a widening divergence in fortunes between an on-going decline in existing single-family home sales and resilient activity for new single-family homes. Enveloping both markets are elevated pricing pressures. … Read more

Jackson Hole Redux: Stock Indices Are Back Where They Started – The Market Breadth

Jackson Hole redux (Credit: Welcome to Jackson Hole Sign by Latham Jenkins on Flickr)

Stock Market Commentary The annual Jackson Hole confab of central bankers starts this coming Thursday. Almost like technical poetry, the S&P 500 and the NASDAQ are back to the highs directly preceding Jackson Hole 2022. Depending on your perspective, this Jackson Hole redux either represents a bullish confirmation of the market’s resilience after 18 months … Read more

A Slight Summer Cooling from Spring’s Peak – Housing Market Review

cooling (Yosemite waterfall)

Housing Market Intro and Summary May’s housing market was remarkably strong and represented the peak velocity of the spring selling season. June followed up with more relative strength but a slight sequential cooling as mortgage rates continued a march back to the top of the recent range. Housing starts, new home sales, and existing home … Read more

Now Overbought, the Summer of Loving Stocks Stares Down the Fed – The Market Breadth

stares down (Credit: Animal Kingdom - The Stare Down by Jeff Krause Photography on Flickr)

Stock Market Commentary On Thursday, good economic news scared Wall Street yet again. Initial jobless claims came in well below “expectations” and set off a cascade of reactions. Interest rates shot up and the stock market dropped down. The stubborn strength of the labor market allows the Federal Reserve to stay hawkish and keep its … Read more

Chasing the Outperformance of Home Builders

outperformance (Credit: Dr. Duru at the Charles Shultz Museum)

I assumed the seasonal trade on home builders came to an end some time in May. However, the tailwinds lifting builders higher remain as strong as ever. This strength and outperformance has confused and confounded those assuming higher interest rates would mean disaster for the housing market and an eventual recession. A recent upgrade for … Read more

Bulls Win Big: Overbought Conditions Return – The Market Breadth

bulls win big (Credit: BULLFIGHT, SOMETIMES THE BULL WINS by David Winnie from Flickr)

Stock Market Commentary The bulls win big. The summer of loving stocks continued with the bulls overcoming a major hurdle: the overbought threshold for market breadth. After two failed attempts in the last month, the third attempt became the charm. The charm received a strong endorsement from fresh breakouts by the S&P 500 and the … Read more

Sailing Past the Sunset – Housing Market Review

sailing past the sunset (Credit: sailing past the sunset by jackfraser on Flickr)

Housing Market Intro and Summary The spring selling season housing market looked “defiant” going into the end of a cycle. In June, the housing market looks like it refuses to let the cycle end as it sails past the expected sunset. New home sales and housing starts surged as the market for existing homes barely … Read more

Bulls Fade Fast from the Overbought Frontier – The Market Breadth

fade (Credit: Hercules Wrestling the Bull by carfull...from Wyoming on Flickr)

Stock Market Commentary: The summer of loving stocks is facing its first real test. In the middle of the week, the rally finally failed at the threshold of overbought market breadth. The stock market closed the week with market breadth confirming the end of the primary rally and the start of an important test of … Read more

Defiant to the End of the Cycle? – The Housing Market Review

defiant (Credit: The Defiant Ones #caturday #catsofinstagram #instacat #cats by k8southern on Flickr)

Housing Market Intro and Summary The seasonal trade on home builders ended in the middle of one of those critical junctures for these stocks and the housing market in general. Mortgage rates are done coming down for now and could break to new highs as the Federal Reserve continues hiking short-term rates to battle inflation. … Read more

Deciphering the Bearish Case: Is it Time to Short ITB?

Uptrend in ITB: An Observation of 20-Day and 50-Day Moving Averages The calendar for the seasonal trade in home builders has come to an end. Yet, the iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) looks as strong as ever. The uptrend in ITB is well-defined by a primary uptrend in the 20-day moving average (DMA) (the … Read more