Homebuilders Remain Confident

NAHB Housing Market Index (January 2016)

– Housing Market Index 60, down slightly from December’s 61 reading.

– This National Association of Homebuilders index measures homebuilder confidence, and is a leading indicator for Housing Starts which haven’t fully recovered since 2007. 

– This index measures three things: actual sales of new homes, expected sale in the next 6 months, and traffic of prospective buyers at open houses.

– 50 is dividing line between positive and negative sentiment, so while January dropped one point, confidence is still healthy.

– NAHB comments here, and more methodology here.

– Below is table from 1985 to PRESENT