Sales of New U.S. Homes Decrease From Two-Year High: Economy |
| Bloomberg - Jul 25, 2012 |
Sales of new U.S. homes unexpectedly dropped in June from a two-year high, a sign the market is being held back by a lack of inventory after builders curtailed projects.
Purchases fell 8.4 percent to a 350,000 annual rate, the weakest since January, the Commerce Department reported today in Washington. The median estimate in a Bloomberg News survey of 74 economists was 372,000. The decline was led by a record plunge in the Northeast, where the number of properties available last month was the fewest for any June.
“A dearth of construction has led to a very significant inventory shortage,” said Carl Riccadonna, a senior U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. in New York, who forecast sales would drop to a 345,000 rate, the lowest of those surveyed. “If you want to buy a newly built home, good luck finding one.”
Record-low mortgage rates and stabilizing home prices have spurred buyer traffic, even as unemployment and strict lending standards remain obstacles for the industry that precipitated the last recession. Among companies betting that construction will pick up is Caterpillar Inc. (CAT), which today raised its full- year earnings forecast on improving sales of excavators, scrapers and dozers as builders replace aging equipment.
Read Full Article from Bloomberg
- Posted: 2012-07-25 13:02:32
| More Stock Investor Place Top Stories |
 |
|
|
|
| Stock Investor Place Top Stories Archive |
|
|
|
