The iShares US Home Construction Reaches A New Level Of Outperformance

My case for managing risk by peeling back some of my holdings in homebuilders turned out to be quite timely. In what has become a near regular pattern for the iShares US Home Construction (ITB), sharp selling has quickly followed a strong run-up and rush of excitement in homebuilders. The sellers and bears are almost … Read more

T2108 Update (August 7, 2015) – S&P 500 Support Keeps Taking A Beating; Homebuilders In Focus

(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

Not Worrying About China’s Impact on the U.S. Housing Market

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on July 14, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) There are plenty of reasons to worry about the U.S. housing market. I am not adding China’s recent market turmoil to the list. In a piece called “Will China flee or … Read more

Growing Stalemate: Housing Starts, Affordability, and Sentiment Versus Student Debt

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on May 20, 2014. Click here to read the entire piece.) The U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) released on Friday the numbers for April housing starts. The continued increase in housing starts confirms the … Read more

KB Home: Waiting on Margin News Despite Strong Preliminary Report

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on February 12, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) KB Home (KBH) has made good on its promise to focus more on short-term monetization. Since reporting disappointing earnings on January 13, 2015, KBH has already announced six openings, grand openings, … 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

Why Home Builders Are Off to A Relatively Strong Start In 2015

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on January 9, 2015. Click here to read the entire piece.) It is still very early in the new year, but I cannot help notice the relative strength exhibited by iShares Trust – iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (ITB) and several major … Read more

Home Builder Sentiment Springs Back to Life

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on June 15, 2014. Click here to read the entire piece.) It appears the National Association of Home Builders(NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) has indeed stabilized. Last month, I interpreted a small recovery in the HMI from a March plunge as … 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