Home Builder Confidence

The National Association of Homebuilders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index dropped two points to 55 from September's revised reading of 57. Builder concerns over labor costs and availability and economic uncertainty related to the federal government shutdown were noted as factors contributing to the lower reading for October.  Key Points Noted In October's HMI included: Builder confidence remains above 50, which indicates that more builders have a positive outlook on housing market conditions than those with negative sentiment. The October HMI cites pent-up buyer demand in markets throughout the US as a positive influence on October's reading. A spike in mortgage…

Home builder confidence was unchanged for September according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index HMI released Tuesday. After four months of rising confidence, September's HMI reading came in at 58, which was not far from expectations of a reading of 59. August's reading of 58 was revised from 59. Readings over 50 indicate that more builders view housing market conditions as being positive than negative. Housing Market Index Readings Rise Components of September's HMI include readings for home builder views of current market conditions, which maintained August's reading of 62. The September reading for buyer…