FRI News and Press, First Trust S&P REIT Index Fund From 10/19/22

Summary The US National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI), designed to gauge market conditions, fell to 38 in October from 46 in September, now 50% lower than it was six months ago (below 50 is considered negative), and the largest year over ye...

Summary Real estate earnings season kicks off this week, and over the next month, we'll hear results from 175 equity REITs, 40 mortgage REITs, and dozens of housing industry companies. Slammed by the historic surge in interest rates over the past six months, REITs enter third-quar...

Summary Following a dizzying rally during the Covid recovery, global housing markets have cooled recently as affordability has declined. In Sweden, the combination of mostly floating mortgages, uncomfortably high inflation, and a central bank behind the curve but determined to cat...

Summary With the latest index value of 38, the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index is now nearly where it had been in May 2020 during the lockdown and below where it had been in February 2007, on the way down into Housing Bust 1. Traffic is a sign of interest among potential hom...

Summary With mortgage rates running higher unabated and mortgage demand decimated, homebuilder sentiment has continued to tank. As for the technical picture of homebuilder stocks, recent declines have been a bit healthier than the broader market. While homebuilder stocks have ...

Summary The REIT sector has endured declines in 7 of the first 9 months of 2022, including a particularly brutal -13.66% total return in September. Micro cap (-18.27%) and small cap REITs (-15.01%) saw the steepest declines. Large caps (-11.44%) and mid caps (-11.75%) endured the ...

Summary Stocks started the week waiting with bated (baited?) breath for the inflation reports of the week. It isn’t surprising that the market is focused firmly on the rearview mirror for clues about the future since Jerome Powell has made it plain that is his plan. Sto...

Summary REITs are trading at the lowest valuation in years. Yet, few seem to be buying them due to fears of rising rates. We think that the fears are unwarranted and explain why that is. Every crisis we have is always the worst crisis we've ever had. If you have ...

Summary U.S. equity markets dipped to two-year lows on another volatile week as a disappointing slate of inflation data suggested that the potential window for an economic "soft-landing" may be narrowing. Declining in seven of the past nine weeks and finishing on the cusp of the l...

Summary Home prices and rents will decline in the next year, on average, though different parts of the country will experience somewhat differing paths. In the aggregate, housing prices will decline for both homeowners and tenants. Before getting too glum, though, homeowners s...