The Quikrete Industry Dashboard
Week 47 included some major industry metrics. First came the residential construction report that showed total housing starts for October were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.311 million — down 3.1 percent from October of 2023.
That tepid report was followed by the National Association of Realtors report on existing home sales, which climbed 3.4 percent in October to a rate of 3.96 million.
"The worst of the downturn in home sales could be over, with increasing inventory leading to more transactions,” said NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun. "Additional job gains and continued economic growth appear assured, resulting in growing housing demand. However, for most first-time homebuyers, mortgage financing is critically important. While mortgage rates remain elevated, they are expected to stabilize.”
The median existing-home price3 for all housing types in October was $407,200, up 4.0% from one year ago ($391,600). All four U.S. regions registered price increases.
Also on the latest Quikrete Industry Dashboard, all 10 ticker symbols are up from a year ago. At the low end, WY is up 0.2 percent, while TSCO is up 43.8 percent at the high end.
See updates for industry stocks here.
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Coming next: The New York-based Conference Board, an industry think tank, will release its closely watch Consumer Confidence Index on Nov. 26. Currently, it stands at 108.7 (1985=100).