Homebuilders

Mortgage applications for newly constructed homes continued to increase on a year-over-year basis, as existing home listings remain constrained.

A gauge of the outlook for home purchases over the next six months dropped 6 points to 60, the first decline since June, according to the NAHB and Wells Fargo.

Single-family starts, which account for most new construction, climbed 3.3% to a 1.05 million annualized rate, also the strongest since February 2024.

The U.S. will see between 3,000 to 4,000 such organizations begin to form in 2025, representing a jump from the year-end 2024 total.

The leading homebuilder trade group was joined by a consortium of state attorneys' general in the filing, alleging higher costs to both its members and potential buyers of new units.

The manufactured home loan lender, a unit of Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary Clayton Homes, was accused of ignoring red flags that sent many borrowers into bankruptcy, default and ultimately out of their homes.

Sales of new single-family homes increased 5.9% last month to a 664,000 annualized rate, in line with the median estimate of economists who expected 669,000.

The residential market is expected to face challenges from stubbornly high mortgage rates and limited supply in 2025, particularly after Fed Chair Jerome Powell's comments on Wednesday indicating fewer rate cuts are coming.

The sales pace of new constructions in November was the third highest this year, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Businesses across several industries have already started budgeting for expected price increases

U.S. lumber prices, which already have risen in recent months due to lower production in Canada, could see further gains after President-elect Donald Trump's proposed tariffs on trade from north of the border.

"If he manages to get through the policies that he's proposing, that will be really bad news," says Desmond Lachman, an economist at the conservative American Enterprise Institute.

Developers "need those cuts badly" because many projects are financed at floating rates, Jorge Perez, founder and chief executive officer of Related Group, said in an interview on Bloomberg Television.

Housing starts decreased 3.1% last month to a 1.31 million annualized rate, reflecting a steep decline in the South, according to government data released Tuesday.

Confidence among U.S. homebuilders advanced to a seven-month high in November on a jump in sales expectations and optimism a Trump administration will ease regulatory burdens.

Residential construction companies facing their own construction cost burdens are continuing sales incentives that have cut into some of the largest players' profit margins.

The National Association of Homebuilder's chief economist lays out a timeline for the market, and describes how new construction today compares to existing home sales.