NEW YORK, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) -- Confidence among U.S. homebuilders advanced to a seven-month high in November on a jump in sales expectations and optimism that a Donald Trump administration will ease regulatory burdens, reported Bloomberg News on Monday.
A gauge of housing market conditions from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and Wells Fargo climbed three points to 46 this month, exceeding all estimates in a Bloomberg survey of economists.
All three components of the index rose, led by the six-month sales outlook, which increased seven points to the highest level since April 2022. A measure of current sales improved to a six-month high and an index of prospective buyer traffic reached the highest level since April.
"Builders have blamed uncertainty over the presidential election for restraining sales recently, along with mortgage rates that rebounded after hitting a two-year low in September," said the report. "NAHB Chief Economist Robert Dietz said Donald Trump's election two weeks ago only alleviates some of the industry's worries." ■