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Confidence of US home builders plunges in July as rising costs slow sales
FILE - Contractors stand on the roof of a house under construction in Louisville, Kentucky, on July 1, 2022. Photographer: Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images Home builder confidence suffered a near-record drop in July as high inflation and climbing mortgage rates stalled the housing market by slowing sales and discouraging potential buyers.The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Housing Market Index (HMI) was released on Monday, showing how builder confidence in the market for newly-built, single-family homes dropped to 55. It was the seventh straight monthly decline and a drop of 12 points since June, indicating a further sign of a weakening housing market, according to the NAHB.The July score marked the lowest index reading since April 2020 — which was 30 — when most of the country was under some form of lockdown at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.