US homebuilder stocks surge on hopes for demand boost after Fed rate cuts

D.R. Horton Lennar, PulteGroup and Toll Brothers rose roughly 3% before the bell. The U.S. central bank on Wednesday kicked off an anticipated series of interest rate cuts with a larger-than-usual half-percentage-point reduction that is expected to further reduce mortgage rates in the coming months and help reduce incentives that builders need to offer to attract buyers. The central bank drove up interest rates between 2022 and 2023 to the 5.25%-5.50% range to bring down high inflation, causing a slowdown in the housing market, but mortgage rates have been falling as the Fed telegraphed rate reductions.