The U.S. homebuilding landscape is strong

Article Excerpt

The U.S. housing market is in the process of recovering from a sharp COVID-19-induced setback in February and March of this year. Low mortgage costs, limited housing supply, and only moderate job losses among middle and higher-income workers are the main reasons for the housing market’s strong rebound. The U.S. market was on a firm footing before COVID, but this changed rapidly in March and April as numerous states implemented lockdown measures. Existing home sales dropped to levels not seen for a decade, while new home sales also declined by 20% from February to April. New home sales re-gained 70% of their losses in May. While sales of existing homes saw a rebound of nearly 21% in June, they are still 18% below February sales. Housing starts fell by over 40% from February to April but recovered in May and June as the economy gradually reopened (see graph). Multi-decade low mortgage costs Interest rates in the U.S. have dropped to historic lows during the past…