Follow-Through Trades: The S&P 500 Left Churning Stocks Behind

The Follow-Through: Churning While the S&P 500 (SPY) cruised higher all week, much of the rest of the market resigned to churning. The dichotomy of a market rebound versus the wounds left to heal continued to play out. Many of the follow-through trades for this week churned with the rest of the stock market. See … Read more

Stock Market Breaks Out to Overbought Territory Yet Again – Above the 40 (May 18, 2020)

Stock Market Statistics AT40 = 75.0% of stocks are trading above their respective 40-day moving averages (DMAs) (first oversold day)AT200 = 18.4% of stocks are trading above their respective 200DMAsVIX = 29.3Short-term Trading Call: neutral Stock Market Commentary Buyers followed through on the building momentum from the previous two trading days which drew a line … Read more

Housing Downturn: Optimism Races Ahead of the Data – Housing Market Review (April, 2020)

The iShares Dow Jones US Home Construction Index (ITB) gained 4.2% and closed at a 2-month high.

Housing Market Intro and Summary Something surprising is happening in the middle of the current downturn in the housing market: buyers keep coming and home builders are staying resilient and resolute. A series of earnings reports from publicly traded home builders do not reflect the historic plunge in builder sentiment from April (see below). The … Read more

Lennar Earnings Q3 2019: Benefits of Serving the Entry-Level Market

Overall Assessment I am bullish on Lennar (LEN). The company’s Q3 2019 earnings report featured the effects of an on-going pivot to serve the entry-level market and to deliver lower-priced homes. Average selling prices came down, but deliveries, orders, revenues, and margins all improved. A “land light” strategy is helping Lennar increase its cash coffers … Read more

Home Builder Breakouts: KB Home and Catch-Up Time for Lennar

The grind played out for about 5 months – including a sell-off in June ahead of earnings. Now, KB Home (KBH) finally managed to break out to a new high for the year. KB Home (KBH) finally joined the growing list of home builders breaking to prices last seen last year and earlier. KBH is … Read more

Lennar Hit Hardest By the Weight of Tepid Housing Starts

Lennar (LEN) continues to suffer post-earnings weakness. Its close at 200DMA support marks a closing 4-month low.

My wait for an entry point to buy Lennar (LEN) continues. On a day with multiple warning signs about the U.S. economy from companies like Csx Corp (CSX), the Census Bureau piled on with lukewarm data on housing starts. While single-family housing starts for June increased month-over-month by 3.5% to 847,000, housing starts decreased on … Read more

The Whiplash from Lennar Q2 Earnings Presents An Opportunity

The Good When Lennar (LEN) reported earnings on June 25th, the stock market responded with the kind of hesitation and whiplash symbolic of the seasonal topping pattern in place for home builders. The first reaction was celebratory as LEN gapped upward and rallied as high 3.6%. The initial reporting on LEN earnings focused on all … Read more

How to Trade the Seasonal Patterns for Home Builder Stocks

(Updated on January 3, 2023 in “How Home Builder Stocks Trade In A Seasonal Pattern“) The Spring selling season is a critical period for the housing market and usually delivers peak activity for the year. This seasonal pattern forms a notable pivot for the stocks of home builders. These stocks typically rally on the wings … Read more

A Big Bet On Home Builders As Seasonal Trade Winds Down

On March 25th, CNBC’s Fast Money discussed very active options trading in the iShares Dow Jones US Home Construction Index (ITB). Call option volume was triple put option volume. Of note, some trader purchased 5000 April 12 $35 weekly calls with ITB trading at $34.60 and just under its 200-day moving average (DMA). That trader … 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