The stock market took a ride up Monday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average putting up a healthy 286-point gain, up 2.18% to 13,468.78. The Nasdaq was up 1.44% and the S&P up 2.4%. But builder stocks split along financial lines, with the stronger balance sheets closing up and those with lesser numbers falling, except for WCI, which closed up 10.76% at $6.59.
Toll Brothers, which announces preliminary results on Wednesday, was up 2.83% to $22.20 in a draft that sent Lennar up 3.06% to $32.36, KB Home up 3.33% to $31.97 and D.R. Horton up 2.43% to $16.86. NVR was up 1.64% to $608.81; Pulte was up 1.88% to $18.94; MDC was up 1.32% to $47.56; Ryland was up 1.53% to $34.42; and Avatar was up 0.90% to $61.87.
Among the losers was Standard Pacific, which dropped 13.37% to $10.56 on heavy volume after having been down as much as 30% earlier in the day. Among other losers were TOUSA, down 13.01% to $2.34; Orleans, down 9.08% to $5.41; Dominion, down 6.02% to $3.28; Hovnanian, down 4.91% to $11.43; Beazer, down 3.01% to $10.96; Centex, down 2.63% to $34.38; Meritage, down 1.16% to $16.99; and M/I, down 0.46% to $23.84.
It appeared through the day that investors were punishing stocks with high exposure to the low-to-mid level market in California, where conditions continue to deteriorate rapidly, and those that they perceive may be facing trouble with lenders.There was no specific news surrounding Standard Pacific other than a recent report that the company would be renegotiating its lines of credit in coming weeks.
