US homebuilding dips, but year best since '07
For the year, builders started 923,000 homes and apartments, up 18.3 percent from 2012. It was the fourth straight annual gain and the strongest since 2007, when 1.36 million homes were started.
The housing market has been recovering steadily over the past year, helping to boost economic growth and create jobs. But a rise in mortgage rates from record lows reached a year ago have started to weigh on those gains.
DYI Comments: Look for QE to begin its taper by having the Federal Reserve withdrawn liquidity. This is turn will increase short term interest rates [and possibly long as well]. Why would they do such a thing with the economy in a fragile state? Insurance companies and pension plans who are large owners and purchasers of bonds have seen their yield continually drop, so much so, their diminished cash flow would result in huge pension increases or premium payments. It is speculation on my part these two very large industries would be screaming to the heavens and back. After 5 years of sub atomic low interest rates they have had enough. Interest rates will rise along with mortgage rates as well. The normalization of rates may have begun.
DYI continues to anticipate a peak to trough decline for the U.S. stock market of 45% to 60%. Will the Fed's cave and begin printing [QE] once it is obvious the market in decline? The fate of the market is already baked into the cake with its overvalued and overbullish condition. No amount of printing [QE] will save it from its fate. Its very possible that the Fed's will side with bond purchasers instead of attempting to mollify the stock market.
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