The Walls Cave In On Housing-Related Stocks

The iShares Dow Jones US Home Construction Index Fund ETF (ITB) crashed again, this time with a 20.2% loss. ITB slices right through the 2018 low and closed at a 3 1/2 year low.

It seems every week I need to generate new superlatives to describe the epic collapse in the stock market. For the housing-related stocks, forget animal spirits getting trampled. This time around the walls have all caved in on the sector. Today’s third crash during this sell-off in the stock market featured a complete collapse in … 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

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

Do Not Get Distracted By Insider Stock Sales at Toll Brothers

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on February 19, 2014. Click here to read the entire piece.) Back in 2009, I was as bearish on housing as anyone. For example, I wrote two pieces pointing to massive insider stock sales at Toll Brothers (TOL) as evidence that company … Read more

Baby Boomers Are Not Likely to Cause the Next Housing Crisis (Part 2 of 2)

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on July 19, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) “‘It’s romantic for the first 15 years when you’re turning 65 and retired…But aging in place among 90-year-olds? 95-year-olds?’ Many of these people…won’t realize that they can’t mow the lawn or … Read more

What the Homebuilders Said to Close Out 2013: All Eyes On the 2014 Spring Selling Season

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on January 6, 2014. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} The above quote pretty much sums up the attitude of homebuilders (ITB) going into 2014. It sounds like a classic sales pitch from a real estate agent, but the evidence … Read more

Prepared to Buy Homebuilders Even As Housing Pause Reawakens Some Short Interest

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on September 29, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) {snip} Source: St. Louis Federal Reserve Homebuilder stocks joined most rate-sensitive plays by falling sharply from their lofty levels once the direction and momentum of rates became clear. {snip} I consider … Read more

Homebuilder Price Performance Diverges in 2013 As Shorts Continue An Uneven Retreat

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on May 5, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) In late November, 2012, I made a list of my homebuilder picks for 2013. I combined valuation, price changes, and short interest to build the list. Almost 6 months later, it … Read more

Supply/Demand Imbalances Continue Building in the Housing Market

(This is an excerpt from an article I originally published on Seeking Alpha on February 24, 2013. Click here to read the entire piece.) There were a lot of interesting nuggets in the January existing home sales report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR). The continuing decline in housing inventory has really caught my … Read more