Vital Statistics:
| Last | Change | |
| S&P futures | 2794 | -14.75 |
| Eurostoxx index | 364.5 | -2.58 |
| Oil (WTI) | 59.81 | -0.86 |
| 10 year government bond yield | 3.21% | |
| 30 year fixed rate mortgage | 4.98% |
Stocks are lower this morning on no real news. Bonds and MBS are up.
As expected, the Fed made no changes to monetary policy yesterday. The language in the statement was almost identical to the September release, with some small changes regarding the deceleration in business fixed investment. Bonds didn’t have much a of reaction to the decision. The December Fed Funds futures contracts are handicapping a 76% chance of another 25 basis points next month.
Initial Jobless Claims ticked up slightly to 214k last week. The labor economy continues to plug along.
A lack of housing inventory translates into a “new normal” for home sales, which is about 1 million units less per year than the pre-bubble days – in other words, the early 2000s, before the big jump in sales driven by the bubble years. The problem is that household formation has outstripped homebuilding for over a decade, and if you correct for population growth, we are still way below what is needed.
D.R. Horton reported earnings yesterday that missed street estimates and the stock was rocked to the tune of 9%. Earnings were up 41%, but on the call, DHI CEO David Auld said the market was “choppy” and noted some “momentum slipping from the market.” D.R. Horton focuses on starter homes, so this is worrisome given that luxury is already struggling a bit. The whole sector is struggling this year, with the homebuilder ETF down 25% from its high set earlier this year.
Filed under: Economy, Morning Report | 33 Comments »
All Things in Moderation 