Housing Worries Drag Averages

Elena
07 Sep, 2006
New York City

Stock markets lost ground Thursday due to persistent economic slowdown worries. Signs of slowing housing market added to investor concerns. Beazer Homes, Hovnanian Enterprises and KB Home warned that the home-building sector is facing difficulties. KB Home fell 2.5%, Beazer Homes lost 3.3% after cutting their full year earnings forecasts.

[R]09:45AM Stocks opened down on slowing housing market.[/R]
Stocks markets were weak at opening, with negative sentiment generated by signs of slowing housing market amid disappointing guidance from homebuilders. Subsequently, the Philadelphia Housing Sector Index fell 1.7%, dragged by KB Home ((KBH)) and Beazer Homes ((BZH)) are posting notable losses after cutting their full year earnings forecasts. Significant weakness also emerged in the gold sector, as gold for December delivery dropped by $12.80. In the first hour of trading, the Nasdaq fell 8.77, or 0.40%. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 37.62, or 0.33%, and the Standard & Poor's 500 index was off 4.43, or 0.34%. Bonds fell, with the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note falling to 4.82% from 4.80% late Wednesday.

UTi Worldwide Inc, ((UTIW)), logistics and freight forwarder, reported its Q2 net income for fiscal 2007 rose to 24 cents a share, compared with 23 cents a share in the year-earlier period. Revenue at the company rose 30% to $890.1 million from $686.2 million. The company matched analysts’ forecast for earnings of 24 cents a share.

America's Car Mart, ((CRMT)), retailer, reported that Q1 net income fell 15% to 35 cents a share, from 41 cents a share in the year-ago period despite 6.9% revenue growth. The company missed analysts expectations for earnings of 40 cents a share. The company reduced its 2007 earnings outlook to $1.50 to $1.56 a share, from $1.56 to $1.63 a share on difficult economic issues currently affecting a large part of Car-Mart's customer base.

Fleetwood Enterprises Inc, ((FLE)), recreational vehicle maker, reported Q1 losses narrowed to 1 cent a share, from 53 cents a share a year earlier. If not for discontinued operations, the company would have had a profit of 1 cent a share vs. last year's loss of 31 cents a share. The company beat analysts’ views for a loss of 12 cents a share. Q1 revenue fell 14% to $529.8 million from last year's $616.5 million, with sales at its RV group down 12%, at its housing group down 29% and at its supply group down 6%. he company said it expects pressure on margins to continue through the fiscal second quarter due to weak motor home sales and highly competitive travel trailer market.

Movado Group Inc, ((MOV)), watch maker, reported Q2 earnings of 43 cents a share, up from a profit of 33 cents a share a year-ago. Sales rose 9.8% to $126.6 million from $115.3 million in the same period a year earlier. Same-store sales increased 9.3% for Q2. The company topped analysts’ forecasts for a profit of 39 cents a share.

ConAgra Foods Inc, ((CAG)), packaged food company, restated its outlook for annual earnings per share growth of 7% to 9% for 2008 to 2009. Sales are expected to grow 2% to 3% annually during the same period, the company said.


[R]Initial jobless claims fell more than expected.[/R]
Thursday morning, the Department of Labor released its report on initial jobless claims in the week ended September 2nd. The report showed that jobless claims fell much more than economists had been expecting. The report showed that jobless claims fell to 310,000 from the previous week''s revised figure of 319,000. Economists had expected jobless claims to edged down to 315,000 compared to the 316,000 originally reported for the previous week. The Labor Department also said that the four-week moving average fell to 315,250 from the previous week''s revised average of 318,250. The decrease by the less volatile moving average comes after it rose in the three previous weeks. Additionally, the report also showed that continuing claims in the week ended August 26 rose to 2.492 million from the preceding week''s revised level of 2.477 million.


[R]8:30AM Stock futures pointed to a lower opening.[/R]
U.S. stock market futures declined Thursday pointing to a negative opening on growing concerns over global inflation due to the impact of higher oil prices and labor costs increases. Signs of slowing housing market also weighed on the sentiment. Home builder KB Home ((KBH)) fell 5.5% in electronic trading after it cut its forecast on Wednesday. Rival Hovnanian Enterprises Inc. ((HOV)) rose 2.1% in after market trading, despite news of a second straight quarter of declining earnings and orders. Hovnanian reported fiscal Q3 net income drop by 36%, while orders declined 26%.

Graphics chip maker ATI Technologies Inc ((ATYT)) fell 1.4%, dragging the Nasdaq futures after it warned that Q4 revenue would miss the revenue outlook. Following the news, shares of Advanced Micro Devices Inc. ((AMD)) moved lower 3.6%, even though the companies said they had satisfied U.S., Canadian and German antitrust conditions related to the acquisition. A report released by Merck & Co.''s ((MRK)) board said on Wednesday the drug maker''s top executives did not consciously put patients at risk in developing and marketing Vioxx, the arthritis drug withdrawn after a study showed it increased heart risks. In economic data, initial jobless claims and wholesale inventories for July are due out later in the session. S&P 500 futures were down 4.10 points, below fair value. Dow Jones industrial average futures fell 30 points, and Nasdaq 100 futures dropped 3.75 points.


[R]7:30AM Asian falls on Japan techs and HK property shares declines.[/R]
Asian markets ended lower on Thursday. The Nikkei 225 Average in Tokyo fell 1.67% to 16,012.41. Electronics conglomerate NEC Corp. was down 2.91% and Hitachi Ltd declined 2.68%. Sony decreased 1.58%. Carmakers also fell on concerns a rise in U.S. interest rates could crimp sales. Honda Motor led the decliners in the Japanese auto sector, falling 2.75%.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng Index closed down 0.94% to 17,096.44. The Hang Seng China Enterprises Index of Hong Kong-listed mainland shares fell 0.46%. Property stocks such as New World Development and Hang Lung Properties ;ed the decliners, dropping respectively 1.16% and 2.18%. South Korea Kospi Index fell 0.43%, with LG Electronics dropping 1.6%. The central bank of the country said Thursday morning it was keeping the benchmark overnight call rate target steady at 4.5%.

Australia S&P/ASX 200 lost 0.1%. Retailer Coles Myer fell 0.44% after saying Wednesday it had rejected a takeover bid from a leveraged buyout consortium. China Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.7% following three straight sessions of gains.


[R]7:15AM Europe slips on inflation fears and Tomkins issue.[/R]
European markets were lower by mid-day on Thursday. London’s FTSE 100 slipped 1% to 5,871.3, while Frankfurt’s Xetra Dax shed 0.5% to 5,781.56 and the CAC 40 in Paris lost 0.8% to 5,074.76. Tomkins, British engineering company, issued a profit warning about the state of the U.S. residential and automotive equipment markets only a month after its first-half results. The company plunged 13%.

Construction products supplier Wolseley lost 2.5% and Lafarge dropped 1.7%. Michelin declined 1.3%, while DaimlerChrysler fell 0.8%. A few companies advanced on strong earnings reports. Ahold rose 4% after the supermarket operator surpassed expectations with a 70% profit in its second quarter profit. Carrefour gained 1.2% after the retailer and the operator of supermarkets in France, Italy and Spain reported an 11% profit climb. InBev rose 2.5% after the brewer of Brahma and Stella Artois reported a 12% rise in its second-quarter profit.