Indicators

US Homebuilder Sentiment Extends Record Slide as Rates Soar

  • Gauge has fallen every month this year, weakest since May 2020
  • Higher rates continue to price out buyers, economist says
Workers build a floor at a home under construction in Saratoga Springs, Utah.Photographer: George Frey/Bloomberg
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A measure of US homebuilder sentiment dropped for a 10th straight month in October, hitting the lowest level since the early days of the pandemic and illustrating a housing market battered by soaring mortgage rates.

The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo gauge decreased 8 points to 38, the weakest since May 2020, figures showed Tuesday. The gauge was weaker than the most pessimistic forecast in a Bloomberg survey of economists.