The Nat’l Assoc of Home Builders sentiment survey was a weaker than expect=
ed 16, 2 pts below the estimate and down from 17 in Nov. It’s the weakest=
reading since June. Present conditions fell 1 pt to 16 and the Future out=
look fell 2 pts to 26. Prospective Buyers Traffic was unchanged for a 3rd=
month at 13. It’s apparent that the industry didn’t get much lift from th=
e extension of the home buying tax credit into the spring and begs the que=
stion of how much was the pull forward of demand when it was first initiat=
ed last spring. Also likely impacting sentiment is the still daunting comp=
etition that foreclosures present to the builders.
Please use the comments to demonstrate your own ignorance, unfamiliarity with empirical data and lack of respect for scientific knowledge. Be sure to create straw men and argue against things I have neither said nor implied. If you could repeat previously discredited memes or steer the conversation into irrelevant, off topic discussions, it would be appreciated. Lastly, kindly forgo all civility in your discourse . . . you are, after all, anonymous.