Recent housing market trends reveal an unexpected 8.7% decline in new U.S. home sales in August, according to data from the Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This downturn is attributed to a combination of factors including rising mortgage rates as reported by Freddie Mac, a decrease in single-family housing starts, negative builder confidence as per the National Association of Home Builders, and a dwindling housing inventory, based on information from the National Association of Realtors.
Peter Boockvar, from Bleakley Financial Group, emphasized the growing conflict between the strong demand for new homes and their escalating prices. Concurrently, Redfin (NASDAQ:RDFN) data has suggested a continued decline in pending home sales.
Despite these developments, there are optimistic views within the industry. Nicole Bachaud from Zillow (NASDAQ:ZG) anticipates a positive future for new home sales, citing a significant backlog of homes waiting to be sold.
The performance of certain exchange-traded funds (ETFs) has also been affected by these developments in the housing market. SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (NYSEARCA:NYSE:XHB) and iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (BATS:ITB) have both seen shifts in their performance, as indicated by Dow Jones Market Data. However, the specific impact of these ETFs was not detailed in the context provided.
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