Well actually, one Hommie is getting hammered and the index is getting dinged. We have been following this chart of the Homebuilders Index for probably a year or so now. It has been moving along in a large, bullish Cup & Handle.
Today KB Home grossed out the market (thanks for the heads up, Hammer) with talk about stuff that you would not expect to see in a low energy and (some) materials and low interest rate environment.
“We are projecting our first quarter 2015 gross margin will drop significantly from the first quarter of 2014 hitting the low point for the year before improving sequentially for the remaining three quarters of 2014,” Chief Executive Jeffrey Mezger said on a conference call after the company released quarterly financial results. He said there was a “softening in demand” in some markets during the fourth quarter, more sales incentives, and pressures from construction, labor and material costs.
Unbelievable. It reminds me of what I posted a few weeks ago about my trash man boosting prices due to increased costs – of nearly everything other than powering his trucks. There have been other surprising instances of late as well that I don’t quite recall at the moment.
Could the payback for the balls out inflationary operation in play 24/7 and 365 over the last 6 years be brewing?
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