ΗΠΑ: Υποχώρησαν κατά 2% οι μεταπωλήσεις κατοικιών το Μάρτιο

ΗΠΑ: Υποχώρησαν κατά 2% οι μεταπωλήσεις κατοικιών το Μάρτιο

ΜΕΙΩΜΕΝΕΣ κατά 2% εμφανίζονται οι μεταπωλήσεις κατοικίας στις ΗΠΑ το Μάρτιο, σύμφωνα με τα στοιχεία που έδωσε σήμερα στη δημοσιότητα η National Association of Realtors.

Ειδικότερα, οι μεταπωλήσεις υποχώρησαν στα 4,93 εκατ. κατοικίες από 5,03 εκατ. που ήταν το Φεβρουάριο, επιβεβαιώνοντας τις προβλέψεις των οικονομολόγων.

NAFTEMPORIKI

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April 22 (Bloomberg) -- The two-year U.S. housing slump showed no sign of abating in March as sales of previously owned homes fell for the seventh time in eight months.

Purchases dropped 2 percent, less than forecast, to an annual rate of 4.93 million, from 5.03 million in February, the National Association of Realtors said today in Washington. The median sales price declined 7.7 percent from a year earlier.

The jump in subprime defaults and credit-market losses has caused banks to demand higher down payments and increased income documentation for home loans. Record foreclosures are also depressing home values, giving buyers an incentive to hold off.

``The market will remain out of balance this year and most of next,'' said Michelle Meyer, an economist at Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. in New York, which correctly forecast the sales level. ``As long as the housing market remains weak we think the economy will remain weak as well.''

A separate measure of home values published by the government's Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight showed that sales prices dropped 2.4 percent in February from a year earlier. The monthly house price index is down 3.1 percent from its peak in April 2007.

Home resales were forecast to fall 2.3 percent to a 4.92 million annual rate, according to the median projection of 72 economists in a Bloomberg News survey. Estimates ranged from 4.8 million to 5.08 million.

`Full Swing'

``The housing downturn continues in full swing,'' Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Economy.com in West Chester, Pennsylvania, said in an interview with Bloomberg Radio. ``Potential home buyers are sitting on the sidelines. They do sense that prices are going to go down further. We're still a good six, 12 months away before we see buyers come in.''

Bank of America Corp., the nation's second-biggest bank, said today it plans to curtail low-documentation loans and restrict credit to some borrowers after taking over Countrywide Financial Corp. Yesterday, the bank said profit fell for a third straight quarter as it set aside $6.01 billion for bad loans.

Treasuries were little changed after the reports, then rallied later. Benchmark 10-year notes yielded 3.69 percent at noon, down 4 basis points from yesterday. The Standard & Poor's 500 stock index fell 0.9 percent to 1,375.36.

Sales fell 19.3 percent in March compared with a year earlier. Resales averaged 5.67 million in 2007. Purchases rose 2.2 percent in the Northeast and the West last month. They fell 6.5 percent in the Midwest and 3.5 percent in the South.

The number of homes for sale at the end of March increased by 40,000 to 4.06 million. At the current sales pace, that represented 9.9 months' worth, up from 9.6 months' worth at the end of the prior month.

Median Price

The median price of an existing home dropped to $200,700 from $217,400 a year earlier.

``The elephant in the room really is how much more do house prices have to fall before people start to bite,'' James Glassman, senior economist at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in New York, said in a Bloomberg Radio interview.

Existing-home sales account for about 85 percent of the U.S. housing market and new-home sales make up the rest. Monthly figures on resales are compiled from contract closings and may reflect sales agreed upon weeks or months earlier.

``We're in a mild recession right now'' and ``for a strong recovery, I do think you need to see the housing market come back,'' said Ethan Harris, chief U.S. economist at Lehman, in an interview with Bloomberg Television.

Many economists consider new-home purchases, which are recorded when a contract is signed, a more timely barometer of the market.

Figures from the Commerce Department later this week may show sales of new houses fell in March to an annual pace of 580,000, a 13-year low.

Resales of single-family homes fell 2.7 percent to an annual rate of 4.35 million. Sales of condos and co-ops increased 3.6 percent to a 580,000 rate.

Housing Starts

Falling sales are prompting builders to pare back construction and reduce prices. Work began on 947,000 homes at an annual rate in March, less than forecast and the fewest in 17 years, Commerce figures showed last week.

Residential construction has subtracted from economic growth since the first three months of 2006, culminating in a 25 percent decline in homebuilding last year that was the biggest since 1980.

Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said on April 2 that slumping home construction, employment and consumer spending may cause a recession. Other policy makers echo his concern.

``I'm expecting a contraction in economic activity in the first half of the year,'' Richmond Fed President Jeffrey Lacker said last week. ``The crucial variable is stability in the retail housing market.''

Ryland Group Inc., a U.S. homebuilder that targets first- time buyers, will exit a market for the first time in a decade when it leaves the Cincinnati area next year. The company last week cited ``ongoing sluggish conditions'' in the local market. RealtyTrac data showed Ohio ranked third in foreclosure filings last month and had the seventh-highest foreclosure rate.

BLOOMBERG