Tag Archives: Homebuilders

Builders broke ground on new residences at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.09 million in December, an increase of 4.4 percent month-over-month and 5.3 percent year-over-year, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. For the entire year, the government estimates homebuilders started on 1.01 million new units, making 2014 the first year since 2007 that starts topped the 1 million mark.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo builder sentiment index dropped to 57 in January, NAHB reported Tuesday morning. December's index was revised upward to 58, reflecting no change from the month before.

Total construction spending for November fell 0.3 percent from the prior month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $975 billion, the Commerce Department reported Friday. Economists polled by Econoday predicted a 0.5 percent pickup.

According to a report released Tuesday from the Commerce Department, homebuilders began construction on new houses in November at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.03 million, down 1.6 percent month-over-month and 7 percent year-over-year. Despite the retreat in housing starts, there were a few pieces of good news in Tuesday's report.

Following a four-point uptick in November, the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Housing Market Index dropped one point to 57 in December, the group said Monday. A reading above 50 indicates that market conditions are viewed more as good than bad.

In a report on Tuesday, the Commerce Department estimated construction spending throughout the month at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $971 billion, an increase of 1.1 percent over September's revised estimate of $960.3 billion. A large share of October's increase came in spending on residential projects.

According to a report released by the Commerce Department, groundbreaking on new housing projects was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.01 million last month, a drop of 2.8 percent from September's upwardly revised estimate of 1.04 million. Meanwhile, permit issuance for new housing units was at a rate of 1.08 million, a six-year high for that figure.

The National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Housing Market Index, a closely watched gauge of builder sentiment, rose four points in the latest reading to a level of 58, the group reported. The increase followed a five-point drop in October and put the index close to its September reading of 59, a nearly nine-year high.

The National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) 55+ Housing Market Index (HMI) measured at a reading of 59 last quarter, up three points from Q2 and nine points from the same quarter last year. It was the highest third-quarter reading since the index was created in 2008, the group said.

For months, NAHB has been reporting that recovery in the national and in most metro markets is inching its way back to normal levels. The latest report virtually mirrors the LMI report released in August, which stated that 56 of 350 metros were at or better than normal, and the national housing market overall was 89 percent of where it should be.