By: Gerald Sparrow President & Founder, Sparrow Capital Management, Inc.
Rally Stalls
The stock market drifted lower last week as the tug-of-war between bulls and bears played out in a week that was light on market-moving news.
After falling in the first days of a holiday-shortened trading week, stocks rebounded on Thursday to recover some of the week’s losses. Stocks looked past Congressional testimony by Fed Chair Powell, who said two more rate hikes are likely in the wake of interest rate hikes by central bankers in the U.K., Switzerland, Norway, and Turkey.
The retreat continued into Friday, fueled by global growth fears from new economic data indicating more robust economic slowdowns in the eurozone, Japan, and Australia.
Housing Sentiment Improves
Home builders’ confidence edged into positive territory for the first time in 11 months, aided by strong demand, low inventory, and a recovering supply chain. May’s new home sales, which rose 21.7%–the most significant percentage gain since October 2016, validated this confidence. The number of new home starts in May (1.63 million) hit a 13-month high, with both single- and multi-family homes up substantially.4,5
Sales of existing homes in May rose 0.2% month-over-month while declining 20.4% from a year ago. The existing home market continues to suffer from low inventory and still-high prices. The median price of a home sold in May declined 3.1% year-over-year to $396,100.6
Disclosures:
4. National Association of Home Builders, June 19, 2023
5. Reuters, June 20, 2023.
6. CNBC, June 22, 2023.
PHOTO CREDIT:https://www.shutterstock.com/g/hydromets
Via SHUTTERSTOCK
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