Housing Starts Plunge – Apartment Building Bubble Popping

by Dave Kranzler, Investment Research Dynamics:

Every new apartment building in Denver is now offering one month free as a move-in incentive; some buildings will give you two months free if you push them. There are at least 12 new big buildings in central Denver in various stages of construction. – Investment Research Dynamics

Housing starts plunged 11% in May LINK.  Ironically, this comes a day after the National Home Building Associating reported huge jump in homebuilder “sentiment.”  Let’s remember, “hope” is not a valid investment strategy.

This housing starts number is about as bearish as it can get for the new construction market.  It is also consistent with my detailed research which shows that homebuilder companies have accumulated an all-time high level of inventory, despite a unit sales run-rate which is about 60% below the previous all-time high in inventory back in 2005:

As you can see from this graph to the left which shows homebuilder “sentiment,” industry “hope” has perilously disconnected from the reality of sales. Today’s housing starts report is consistent with the actual transaction data. Since when has a business – other than tele-evangelists – ever been able to convert “hope” into cash flow?

The Orwellian financial media is going to focus on the “housing permits” number.  But, to begin with, the filing of building permit is not a valid economic metric.  It costs next to nothing to file a permit and the act of filing for a permit merely gives a builder the right to build.  Second, and more important, the large jump in permits was for mult-family units:

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