Tag Archives: Homebuilders

The Census Bureau released on Monday its construction spending numbers for both September and October, catching up on releases delayed by the partial government shutdown. In September, total construction spending was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $901.2 billion, down from August's $903.8 billion. Spending for total residential construction, however, perked up, rising to an annual rate of $334.5 billion. Spending on homebuilding in October was down from the previous month, falling to an estimated rate of $332.9 billion.

The Census Bureau and HUD jointly released their data on building permits for September and October, with data on housing starts and completions postponed due to a lack of funds as a result of the government shutdown. In October, privately owned housing units authorized by building permits were at a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.034 million--the strongest figure since June 2008. Permit activity picked up for both single- and multifamily properties.

Builder confidence remained flat in the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) November report, with a slight majority of builders saying market conditions are promising. The NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) came out to 54 this month, unchanged from October's downwardly revised reading. An index value above 50 indicates that more builders view conditions as good than poor; November marks the sixth straight month in which confidence has hovered above the neutral mark.

Steady gains in home prices and rising mortgage rates across the United States contributed to weakening housing affordability in the year's third quarter, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported Thursday. According to the association's Housing Opportunity Index (HOI), 64.5 percent of new and existing homes from the start of July through the end of September were considered affordable to families earning the national median income of $64,400. That share is down from 69.3 percent in the second quarter.

Though the slow rate of household formation among millenials has been cause for alarm among some economists, analysts at Moody's Investors Service say reports of a "lost generation" are overblown.

Depressed construction activity is expected to continue weighing down both housing and the larger economy, Freddie Mac predicts in its latest Economic and Housing Outlook.

The Census Bureau put construction spending at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of $915.1 billion in August, a slight increase over July's spending. On the private side, the Census estimated construction spending was at an adjusted rate of $640.5 billion, 0.7 percent above the revised July estimate of $636.1 billion. Private residential construction spending was $340.2 billion, a 1.2 percent increase from July and an 18.7 percent increase from August 2012.

Builder confidence fell again in October but remained north of neutral, the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) reported Wednesday in its Housing Market Index (HMI) report. Despite declining for the second straight month, the index has hovered above the neutral mark for five consecutive months now, and NAHB reports seeing signs of pent-up demand in many markets across the country. Furthermore, the association believes October's drop represents a temporary blip.

Builder data tracked by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) indicates mortgage applications for new home purchases decreased from August to September. MBA's monthly Builder Application Survey (BAS) suggests new home purchase application volume declined 1 percent month-over-month in September. Using that data and other assumptions regarding market coverage, MBA estimates sales of new single-family homes ran at an adjusted annual rate of 459,000.

Though recent reports seem to indicate a hitch in the ongoing housing recovery, Fitch Ratings maintains its expectations of a healthy increase in housing metrics through this year and the next. "As we have noted previously, recovery in the housing market will likely occur in fits and starts and housing absolute numbers are still low relative to past cycles," the company said in its latest analysis. "Expansion should not be expected as a total slope upward, as there are a number of variables that intervene."