Executive Summary

Each of our Sector Overview reports provides an essential briefing on a sector or market. Findings in US home and home improvement include:

• Interest rates are likely to remain stable for the rest of the year.
• US consumer confidence appears to have peaked and spending preferences are still directed at home improvement, but the growth rate of spending on home improvement is expected to slow.
• Data on housing permits, starts and completions show mixed signals.
• Growth in US existing home sales continues to experience a slowdown and home prices were up 4.2% in January 2019, based on the S&P/Case-Shiller index.
• Lowe’s revamped management is targeting operational improvements at the company.
• RH is positioning itself as much more than just a hardware store, calling its stores “galleries” and seeing itself building a luxury platform and brand with a “discerning level of taste.”