Housing Starts Down In September A Sign You Should Buy Housing Related ETF

Matt Thalman - INO.com Contributor - ETFs


Housing starts for September came in at 829,000 units, lower than the 851,000 units reported in August. Some economist and market participants are saying the weak housing starts are a sign the economy is beginning to show signs of wear.

Others have noted that 15.3% of the decline in starts came from parts of the country that were affected by hurricane Harvey and Irma. Furthermore, we can't forget about the wildfires in California, which may not be as impactful as the hurricane's, but still likely played some role in the decline.

Another data point that points to the health of the housing market is the National Association of Home Builders reported their Housing Market Index. In March of this year, the National Association of Home Builders reported their Housing Market Index hit a 71, just one point lower than its all-time high of 72 which was set in June of 2005. If you recall, shortly after June 2005 the housing bubble began to burst, and the housing crisis took down the U.S. economy. The NAHB report their Housing Market Index was at a 68 in October.

What is again interesting about these data point is that when the NAHB's Market Index hit its all-time high in 2005, the housing starts number was at 1.8 million.

Home builders have cited land and labor shortages for the 'low' number of housing starts. This could be a big problem for those looking to buy a home in the future because it could cause prices to skyrocket. But at the same time, that doesn’t mean the home builders will be making money hand over fist because remember their cost is going higher. Continue reading "Housing Starts Down In September A Sign You Should Buy Housing Related ETF"

Investors Bet On Housing Again (Just In Time For Another Implosion?)

By Elliott Wave International

The U.S. housing market may be about to implode -- again.

Before I get into the "why," know that the residential real estate market never fully recovered.

Annualized new home sales this past July stood at 507,000, vs. the July 2005 peak of 1.39 million. The chart and commentary from the August Elliott Wave Theorist offer:

The percentage of Americans who own a home is still plummeting despite the partial recovery in real estate prices. Today, the percentage of families owning homes in America has plunged to its lowest level in 48 years, nearly half a century. ... By saddling home-buyers with massive debts, the government has done the opposite of what it promised; it has ruined the American Dream for tens of millions of families. Now it's doing the same thing to education ... .

Yes, U.S. student loans amount to some $1.2 trillion. Yet the new on-campus trend is luxury student housing. Continue reading "Investors Bet On Housing Again (Just In Time For Another Implosion?)"

Poll: What are your thoughts on the housing market?

Yesterday new home sales jumped 15.9%. That was a huge unexpected gap up in sales. What are your thoughts on the current status of the housing market?

Should the U.S. government do more to help boost the housing market?

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Bernanke and Geithner, the gang that couldn't shoot straight. Your comments are welcome

I wanted to share this with you this morning to show that  the only thing you can count on is yourself and the market. When you listen to the hype and not the market you are going to lose money. This from our news partner AP.  We welcome your comments.

Adam

Continue reading "Bernanke and Geithner, the gang that couldn't shoot straight. Your comments are welcome"