• The National Association of Home Builders/Well Fargo index of home builders' confidence about the future came in at 37 this month, the best seen since since February 2007 and the fourth straight month of rising numbers.
• The index uses a 0-100 scale, with 50 meaning builders would be evenly divided on whether prospects are good or poor. It last was above 50 in April 2006.
• “While there is still much room for improvement, we have come a long way from the depths of the recession and the outlook appears to be brightening,” Barry Rutenberg, NAHB chairman, said in a statement.

From the article:

U.S. home builders’ confidence jumped for a fourth consecutive month in August, as the housing market’s stabilization has been one of the positive developments in the economy in recent months. ...