Heavy Duty Trucking Logo
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

Economic Watch: Homebuilder, Consumer Confidence Ease

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes in February fell two points to a level of 55, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index released on Tuesday.

Evan Lockridge
Evan LockridgeFormer Business Contributing Editor
February 17, 2015
Economic Watch: Homebuilder, Consumer Confidence Ease

 

3 min to read


Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes in February fell two points to a level of 55, according to the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index released on Tuesday.

“Overall, builder sentiment remains fairly solid, with this slight downturn largely attributable to the unusually high snow levels across much of the nation,” said NAHB Chairman Tom Woods.

Ad Loading...

The decline follows the index falling to 57 in January from 58 in December. A reading above 50 is considered favorable and has been above this level since last June.

Two of the three HMI components posted losses in February. The component gauging current sales conditions edged one point lower to 61 while the component measuring buyer traffic fell five points to 39. The gauge charting sales expectations in the next six months held steady at 60.

“For the past eight months, confidence levels have held in the mid- to upper 50s range, which is consistent with a modest, ongoing recovery,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “Solid job growth, affordable home prices and historically low mortgage rates should help unleash growing pent-up demand and keep the housing market moving forward in the year ahead.”

Ad Loading...

Looking at the three-month moving averages for regional HMI scores, the Northeast fell a single point to 46, and the Midwest and South each posted a two-point drop to 54 and 57, respectively. The West rose two points to 68.

This report follows one last Friday showing consumer sentiment in the U.S. also slipped this month, according to the University of Michigan Survey of Consumers.

The Index of Consumer sentiment, used to gauge the strength of consumer spending, registered 93.6, down 4.6% from January when it hit an 11-year high, but was 14.7% more compared to February 2014. This latest reading is the second highest since January 2007.

Consumer feelings about current conditions were also down for the month compared to January but were up from a year earlier along with their assessment of expectations.

“Consumer optimism slipped in early February due to renewed concerns over employment and wage growth as well as a diminished outlook for the domestic economy,” said Richard Curtin, chief economist for the Survey of Consumers.

Ad Loading...

He said latest reading showed the February decline was larger among residents of the Northeast and Midwest, who had to cope with unusually harsh winter storms, while residents of the South posted modest increases in confidence.

“Low gas prices have especially helped lower income households, although consumers now widely anticipate that gas prices will edge upward during the year ahead,” Curtin said. “The small reversals in early February are hardly sufficient to alter last month’s more favorable forecast that real personal consumption expenditures will grow by 3.3% in 2015.”

 

More Fleet Management

Lance Evans, Director of Safety at K&B Transportation.

Inside Modern Fleet Safety: AI, Cameras & Speed Control at K&B Transportation

How a former commercial vehicle enforcement officer turned director of safety at K&B Transportation is embracing real-world safety technology.

Read More →
TEN disaster prep.
Fleet ManagementMay 1, 2026

How Fleets Can Avoid Equipment Blind Spots in Disaster Response

When the unexpected happens, how you react to, and deal with operational blind spots is critical. Here’s how to keep you recovery on track, when nothing is normal.

Read More →
Illustration of cybersecurity images with "The Cyber Stop" text
Fleet Managementby Ben WilkensApril 30, 2026

AI Security Risks for Trucking Fleets: What to Know About Deepfakes and Agentic AI

As fleets adopt artificial intelligence for routing, maintenance, and load matching, new security risks are emerging. Learn where the vulnerabilities are and how to put the right controls in place.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Mobile tablet showing Motus screen against highway background with Motus logo

FMCSA’s Motus System Is Coming. What Fleets Need to Know Now

The long-awaited registration system promises a single portal — and tighter fraud controls.

Read More →
CargoNet 2026 Qi report.
Fleet Managementby News/Media ReleaseApril 24, 2026

Cargo Theft Incidents Fall in Q1, but Organized Crime and Impersonation Drive New Risks

CargoNet reports fewer supply chain crime events to start 2026. But losses hold steady as organized crime shifts tactics toward impersonation schemes and high-value goods.

Read More →
Graphic with light bulbs, HDT Truck Fleet Innovators logo, and the word Nominations
Fleet ManagementApril 24, 2026

Nominations Open for HDT Truck Fleet Innovators 2026

Heavy Duty Trucking is searching for forward-looking leaders at trucking fleets as nominations for HDT’s Truck Fleet Innovators 2026. Deadline is May 15.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Illustration with trojan horse and lock with inside of cargo container in background
Fleet Managementby News/Media ReleaseApril 23, 2026

New Trojan Driver Cargo Theft Scam Bypasses Carrier Vetting Systems

Cargo theft rings plant operatives as drivers inside legitimate, fully vetted carriers, then execute coordinated thefts that look like a traditional straight theft from the outside.

Read More →
ATA Truck Tonnage Index March 2026.
Fleet Managementby News/Media ReleaseApril 22, 2026

March Truck Tonnage Posts Strongest Annual Gain Since 2022

A modest sequential increase capped the strongest quarterly performance in years, signaling continued freight momentum in early 2026.

Read More →
Toll road.
Fleet Managementby Jack RobertsApril 22, 2026

Ohio Turnpike Targets $5.2 Million in Unpaid Tolls from Trucking Firms

More than 300 carriers across 26 states have been sent to collections as the Ohio Turnpike cracks down on toll evasion and delinquent payments.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Illustration with ATRI logo and square blocks spelling out "research"
Fleet Managementby Deborah LockridgeApril 20, 2026

'Beyond Compliance,' Regulations, Driver Coaching on ATRI’s 2026 Research List

The American Transportation Research Institute will examine driver coaching, regulatory impacts — including the "Beyond Compliance" concept —and weather disruptions that shape trucking operations.

Read More →