Home builders remain active as the housing market closed out last year in a strong fashion. Housing starts rose by 5.8% to an annualized rate of 1.67 million in December, ending the year as one of the strongest in a decade, the Commerce Department reported on Thursday. And housing permits, an indicator of future activity, increased as well, by 4.5% to an ... READ MORE >
National Association of Home Builders
CHART OF THE DAY: Homes for the holidays
Oh, there’s no place like home for the holidays. So begins the holiday standard made famous by Perry Como. Composed in the 1950s by Robert Allen with lyrics by Al Stillman, the song seems fitting these days as Americans are lured to the suburbs, just as they were when Mr. C. was in his prime. Only this time around, instead of being fueled by postwar ... READ MORE >
CHART OF THE DAY: Homebuilder confidence reaches all-time high
Confidence among homebuilders reached an all-time high in November as buyers looking for more room to live and work continued to enter the market, according to the National Association of Homebuilders Housing Market Index released on Wednesday. The index, which rose to 90, is a composite measurement of future sales, present sales and buyer traffic -- all ... READ MORE >
There is no cooling the housing market as homebuilder confidence surges
The U.S. homebuilder confidence index continues to reach new heights, rising to 85 in October, according to data from the National Association of Home Builders released on Monday. The reading was stronger than the median forecast of 83, marking the sixth straight month that the index has exceeded the consensus estimate. All three components of the ... READ MORE >