The best number out of today’s report on sales of newly built homes is not the 7.3 percent bump up in signed contracts, it’s the drop in inventories to a 6.5 month supply.

That number is based on a quicker sales pace and a drop of 5000 in the absolute number of newly built homes on the market.

That volume is the lowest since at least 1963, according to Miller Tabak’s Peter Boockvar, who worries that the supply of existing homes is still simply too much for anyone to be touting the builders.

“The best response on the part of builders is to shoot themselves in the foot for as long as they can financially stand, so the market can more quickly absorb the excess inventory of existing homes which make up most of the overall market,” writes Boockvar.

Aristar’s JT Smith chimes in on the actual April sales number: “Unadjusted sales of 32k makes April 2011 tied for the worst April sales number in recorded history.”

My concern is not over the inventory of newly built homes. I think it’s a big positive. My problem is the glut of bargain-priced REO (bank owned) homes against which the builders compete.

Check out a chart we re-made from data by the Calculated Risk Blog.

Page 1 of 2 | Next Page
Show Entire Article

BRICs Call for End of European Dominance at IMF

Wednesday Look Ahead: Stocks Could Trade Sluggish and Sideways

Glencore’s Hong Kong Shares Down 2.8% on Debut

AIG Share Offering Is Priced At $29, Raising $9 Billion

Pros: Taxpayers Were Fleeced by AIG Pricing

More Top Stories

Article source: http://www.cnbc.com/id/43151710?__source=RSS*blog*&par=RSS