The iShares Dow Jones U.S. Home Construction Index Fund
(NYSEArca:ITB) rallied 2.6 percent Wednesday, extending what has
already been an impressive run so far this year, fueled by a fresh
round of data that pointed to a two-year high in construction and
sales of homes.
The U.S. Department of Commerce said Wednesday that
single-family housing starts in August hit 535,000 homes, the
highest monthly number since April 2010.
Separately, the National Association of Realtors pegged existing
home sales in August at a two-year high of 4.82 million annualized,
exceeding many market estimates.
The latest numbers added to a growing perception that the
housing market, which was at the epicenter of the 2008 credit
crisis, might finally be finding a bottom. As recently as last
spring, home values were still tanking to new cycle lows
nationally, but home prices have been rebounding since then and now
remain about a third off their 2006 peak levels.
Analysts and economists say a bona fide recovery in housing is
key for any sustainable recovery in the broad U.S. economy.
However, the return of sustainable strength in housing remains
clouded by high unemployment rates and tight credit availability at
a time when home inventories are relatively high. Indeed, those
factors seem to have so far kept a lid on the market's upside
potential.
The next closely watched housing, the monthly
S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, is scheduled to come out on
Tuesday, Sept. 25. But today's news on housing was enough to spur a
new round of buying in two of the best-performing ETFs
year-to-date.
The Hottest ETF
iShares' ITB is, in fact, the top-performing fund so far in 2012
with gains of nearly 70 percent year-to-date. The fund, which lists
names such as Pulte, Lennar Corp. and Home Depot among its top
holdings, now has about $1.3 billion in assets. Wednesday's price
action put shares of ITB at their highest level since 2008.
ITB's run Wednesday is particularly impressive given that the
Dow Jones industrial average and the S&P 500 Index inked only a
0.1 percent in gains on the day.
The SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (NYSEArca:XHB) is another big
player in the homebuilders ETF space, with more than $1.56 billion
in assets. It jumped 1.76 percent on Wednesday, the latest piece of
an impressive run that has lifted the fund by more than 50 percent
year-to-date.
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