Homebuilder Blues May Breathe Life Into ‘Hope Trade’ Stock Rally

  • Summer selloff could amplify seasonal rebound: Raymond James
  • Past shows sector beating S&P by 23% after periods of selling

Contractors work on the roof of a home under construction in the Toll Brothers Inc. Regency at Palisades community in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg
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Homebuilding stocks have been taking a beating for the past two months, but the suffering might pay off.

One analyst thinks the sector’s summertime underperformance, driven by fears of a housing slowdown, may amplify the group’s seasonal “hope trade,” in which investors buy up builder stocks in the winter and early spring in anticipation of robust demand.