Free Republic

Home-builder confidence rose in November, as they expect President-elect Donald Trump’s victory to usher in regulatory relief and pave the way for more construction. Sentiment rose for the third month in a row, as builders grew more confident in their ability to sell newly built homes. The National Association of Home Builders’ (NAHB) monthly confidence index rose 3 points, to 46 points in November, the industry group said on Monday. The November figure exceeded expectations on Wall Street. The NAHB index is also at the highest level since April. A year ago, the index stood at 34. Home builders were...

Homebuilder confidence surged in November as the election of Donald Trump and a Republican sweep of the House and Senate boosted optimism about the housing market. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) said its monthly confidence index rose to 46, the highest level since April. This was higher than even the most bullish forecasts and three points above the October level. The sentiment boost reflects builders’ beliefs that the incoming administration and its Republican allies on Capitol Hill will adopt policies to facilitate increased construction activity. “With the elections now in the rearview mirror, builders are expressing increasing confidence...

Stocks rallied sharply on Wednesday, with major benchmarks hitting record highs, as Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential election. The Dow Jones Industrial Average surged 1,263 points to a record high, or around 3%. The last time the blue-chip Dow jumped more than 1,000 points in a single day was in November 2022. The S&P 500 also hit an all-time high, popping 1.8%. The Nasdaq Composite climbed 2% to a record of its own. NBC News projects that Trump will defeat his Democratic rival, Kamala Harris, after winning 276 Electoral College votes, including key swing states of Pennsylvania, North Carolina...