Centex News

Homebuilder Centex plans to shut down most of its operations in two buildings on McKinnon Street.

Centex Homes will soon be breaking ground on its newest model home in Starling at FishHawk Ranch.

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 135,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS , the Fool's free investing community, embattled homebuilder Pulte Homes has received the dreaded one-star ranking .

Based on the aggregated intelligence of 135,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS , the Fool's free investing community, furniture maker La-Z-Boy has received the dreaded one-star ranking .

Source: Yahoo! Finance. * Tracking began on Aug. 7, 2008. ** Adjusted for dividends and other returns of capital.

The homebuilding sector has been under the spotlight for the last 18 months, with many believing that the 'home starts' numbers are starting to point to a bottom.

Less than a month after its purchase of one-time competitor Centex, Pulte Homes is increasing its local footprint once again.

The merger of Pulte Homes Inc. and Centex Corp. will strip D.R. Horton Inc. of the title of largest U.S. home builder, a change the company apparently doesn't like.

PIQUING INTEREST: Leasing interest has been high on the buildings at 2728 and 2828 Harwood St., where Centex Corp.

NEW YORK a ' Investors broke the stock market's four-day rally and sold off after U.S. data on the services industry and factory orders came in below forecasts.

NEW YORK a ' Stocks jumped Thursday as gains in commodities such as oil and natural gas signaled that traders expect a strengthening economy will demand more energy.

Shares of homebuilders traded down Thursday after a pair of fresh reports indicated the housing industry's recovery will likely be slow and gradual.

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported Thursday that U.S. mortgages with past due payments that put them in line for foreclosure jumped to 9% after a seasonal adjustment.

Keeping a new wastewater treatment plant in northern Culpeper County offline until the end of 2010 will save the county about $500,000 each budget year, officials said this week.

Those same experts say it will be a re-stabilizing of the property market that signals an end to the current crisis.

At The Motley Fool, we poke plenty of fun at Wall Street analysts and their endless cycle of upgrades, downgrades, and "initiating coverage at neutral." So you might think we'd be the last people to give virtual ink to such "news." And we would be -- if that were all we were doing.

Shares of the following companies are having unusual moves in U.S. trading . Stock symbols are in parentheses, and prices are as of 1:35 P.m. in New York.

If browsing through beautifully decorated model homes makes you wish you could live there, now's your chance.

The SPDR S&P 500 Homebuilders ETF has been on a rampage, as it has risen 71.1% since hitting its 52-week low on March 9. The companies that it tracks have been reporting some positive signs in their quarterly results , although they remain on shaking ground at best.

For Pulte Homes and Centex Homes the marriage is all about size and diversity. If the two production builders complete the expected merger in the third quarter, the combined company will be the largest home builder in the United States, with a portfolio of entry-level, move-up and active-adult homes spanning 59 markets.