Kommentar des Wall Street Journals zu den gestern veröffentlichten Daten der New-Home-Sales und den Orders for Durable Goods
Economic Strength May Not Last
Durable-Goods Orders,
Housing Rise, but Drops
In Coming Months Seen
August 25, 2007
WASHINGTON -- Factory orders and housing may have been picking up momentum before the latest turmoil in credit markets clouded the economic outlook.
Orders for durable goods, those expected to last more than three years, surged in July, and an important gauge of capital spending turned up, according to government data released Friday. Sales of newly built homes perked up, too, though that could be a temporary flicker of life in a sagging market.
"If there's going to be some downward pressure here, which we think there probably will be, it's better to have some momentum going into it," said Global Insight economist Brian Bethune. "If you already were dead in the water, it obviously would be much more serious."
Orders for cars, appliances and other durable goods gained 5.9% in July over June to a seasonally adjusted $230.7 billion, the Commerce Department said. Nondefense capital-goods orders excluding aircraft, a closely watched barometer of business investment, rose 2.2%.
Sales of new homes, meanwhile, showed a surprising rebound of 2.8% in July from June as average prices fell. But declines are expected in coming months as the housing sector works through high inventories and weakening demand.
July's strength in orders and new-home sales came ahead of a sharp stock-market downturn and turmoil in some credit markets. Concerns over rising defaults in the subprime-mortgage market -- that is, loans targeted at borrowers with less-than-stellar credit -- have stoked caution in the debt markets, leaving companies encountering difficulty in obtaining short-term financing such as commercial paper. Consumers are having more trouble getting mortgages, too, as lenders tighten standards.
Retailers say the housing downturn is starting to damp sales of home furnishings and appliances. A further pullback by consumers could hurt demand for some durable goods in coming months.
In July, transportation-equipment orders gained 10.8%, reflecting strong demand for aircraft and motor vehicles. Orders for computers and machinery also increased, though those for appliances and electrical equipment fell slightly.
The strength reflected continuing improvement for the manufacturing sector after tepid activity early in the year. But with the credit crunch roiling financial markets, some of the categories that rely most on loans for their purchase -- such as aircraft, business machinery and vehicles -- could take a hit in August and September.
Tightening credit markets also could further pressure the housing market. The withdrawal of major mortgage lenders from the market in recent weeks and the imposition of stricter loan standards are expected to delay home purchases by some potential buyers. Higher mortgage rates, especially on "jumbo" loans above $417,000, could further constrain buyers.
"Very simply, traffic is horrible," Robert Toll, chairman of luxury-home builder Toll Brothers Inc., told analysts this past week. Last month's jump in new-home sales, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 870,000 units, came with a 3.4% decline in the average price of a new home, to $300,800, from a year earlier. The increase in sales was driven by strong demand in the West, while the Northeast market, the smallest for new homes, fell sharply.
The pace of sales for new homes dropped 10.2% in July from a year earlier. Inventories, while declining slightly, remained high at 7.5 months of supply at the current sales rate.
Bank of America economist Gary Bigg predicted that housing activity and prices would remain under pressure through mid-2008.
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