Author name: Ricky Vasquez

Key insight: The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that the economy lost 92,000 jobs in February, signaling a cooling labor market. Supporting data: Health care jobs fell by 28,000, while the overall unemployment rate held steady at 4.4%. Forward look: The declining job totals could signal to the Federal Reserve that rate cuts are necessary

Making less money but making steady headway may be a crude way to boil down what early 2026 was looking like for many homebuilding business leaders. Public homebuilder execs were not discussing a plain-and-simple “recovery trade.” The most consistent post-earnings themes – across demand, pricing, margins and capital strategy – indicated a market that is