Market Trends & Sentiment - Homebuilder ETF experienced its best day since 2022, with Horton and PTE jumping double digits [1] - Consumer confidence is improving, potentially bringing buyers off the sidelines [2] - Investor sentiment is improving with optimism that this quarter will be the last cut for homebuilders and the housing market will improve moving into 2026 [3] - Stabilization in rates is needed more than rate cuts for homebuilders to plan and consumers to make decisions [4] Company Strategy & Operations - Builders are building smaller footprints with fewer SKUs (stock keeping units) to make the build process more efficient and affordable [5] - Builders are offering financing incentives to solve for affordability [6] - Stick and brick costs (labor and material) for homebuilders are down low single digits year-over-year [7] - Public builders are gaining market share, now representing about 50% of the market among the top 16 builders, due to better access to land, labor, materials, and financing [10] External Factors & Policy - Lumber prices are up 20-30% for the year but remain in a manageable range [6] - Potential elimination of capital gains for selling homes could put incremental dollars in the hands of consumers, making home purchases more palatable [8][9] - There is a real shortage of labor in the market, but the immigration crackdown has not caused any disruption as of yet [12]

Bond traders are boosting bets that the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates more aggressively next year as speculation mounts that a change of leadership at the central bank will deliver easier monetary policy https://t.co/87NovKQONP ...

Several large U.S. banks announced CD rate increases on Tuesday—a welcome development at a time when most CD shoppers have been expecting rates to stay flat. https://t.co/iEEQWKWY9q ...

🇺🇸 TRUMP: Housing is lagging and families are hurting because “Too Late” Powell won’t cut rates. https://t.co/ZYXG34O8uH ...

🇺🇸 PRESIDENT TRUMP JUST CALLED FED CHAIR JEROME POWELL A STUBBORN GUY FOR NOT CUTTING RATES. https://t.co/Gppr7xcC2E ...

Inflation in the United States has been above the Fed's target since 2021. It is still elevated. A risk with tariffs, which might not normally apply, but a risk here is that because we've been at inflation elevated pace for so much time, that people are just going to build that into their thinking.Are they going to think, hey, we're going to get 2% inflation going forward. Or maybe they'll get stuck at this around the 3% level. And that's a big risk to the Fed. And that's the only reason that it is keeping ...

South African inflation quickened to a four-month high in June, complicating the central bank’s task as it prepares to review interest rates https://t.co/x70eoVvZni ...

Bank of Japan Deputy Governor Shinichi Uchida indicated there’s little immediate need to raise interest rates after a trade deal with the US was announced https://t.co/t9SjKd1YaI ...

With interest rates near two-decade highs, it is no wonder that homebuyers want to cut corners. Some strategies are risky—especially for sellers https://t.co/oDC3WVM3xs ...

Market Performance - The S&P 500 reached a record closing high of 6309, up from 6305 the previous day [1] - The Dow increased by 179 points (+0.40%), while the Nasdaq decreased by 81 points (-0.39%) [1] - The small-cap Russell 2000 led the major indexes with a gain of 17 points (+0.79%) [1] Homebuilders Sector - Homebuilders had a strong trading day, with D.R. Horton (DHI) and Pulte Home (PHM) exceeding earnings expectations [2] - DHI's gross margins were better than anticipated, leading to a share price increase of +16.8% [2] - Pulte reported an increase in new orders, resulting in an +11.8% rise in shares [2] - The iShares Home Construction ETF (ITB) advanced by +7.88% [2] Interest Rate Expectations - Improved market sentiment is linked to expectations of a potential decrease in interest rates by the Federal Reserve [3] - High interest rates have kept mortgage rates elevated, limiting entry-level homebuyers' market access [3] - Current expectations suggest that high mortgage rates may soon decline [3] Earnings Reports - Texas Instruments (TXN) reported Q2 earnings of $1.41 per share, exceeding the Zacks consensus by 9 cents, with revenues of $4.45 billion surpassing expectations of $4.31 billion [4] - Despite the strong quarterly performance, Texas Instruments shares fell by -7% in late trading [4] - Capital One Financial (COF) reported earnings of $5.48 per share, significantly above the anticipated $3.83, with revenues of $12.49 billion exceeding expectations of $12.22 billion [5] - Capital One's shares rose by +1.5% following the earnings announcement [5] Upcoming Economic Indicators - Existing Home Sales for June are projected to slightly decrease to 4.0 million seasonally adjusted, annualized units, marking a return to levels not seen since October of the previous year [6] - The Northeast region experienced the fastest growth in the previous report, with an increase of +4.2% [6] Anticipated Earnings Reports - A significant number of earnings reports are expected, including major companies such as Alphabet (GOOGL) and Tesla (TSLA), along with IBM, Chipotle, Southwest Airlines, ServiceNow, and Las Vegas Sands [7]