US housing market index from NAHB slightly decreased in July

Confidence in the Builders Index for single-family homes fell in Jully by one point to 59 from June's reading of 60 according to the Housing Market Index (HMI) of the National Association of Home Builders / Wells Fargo, released today.

"Over the past six months, the confidence of builders remained in a relatively narrow range of positive, consistent with continued gradual recovery of the housing market, which is well underway," said NAHB Chairman Ed Brady. "Nevertheless, we are still hearing reports from our members about the weakness in some markets, largely due to regulatory restrictions and the lack of land and labor."

"Economic fundamentals suggest the continuation of slow, sustainable growth in the housing market," said NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz. "Creating jobs is sustainable, mortgage rates are at historically low levels and the formation of households grow. These factors should help attract more buyers to the market over time."

All three components were slightly lower in July. The component measuring current expectations of sales and customer traffic fell by one point each to 63 and 45, respectively. The index measuring sales expectations over the next six months, showed a decline of three points to 66.

Three-month moving averages for the regional HMI values ​​remained remarkably resilient. North-East Indices, the Midwest and the South remained unchanged at 39, 57 and 61, respectively. In the West, the index rose by one point to 69.