“Operation Breakthrough’s biggest accomplishment, however, was the adoption of the HUD Code, which introduced the industry and the world to manufactured housing.” So says a pull quote from the new report by Regina Gray HUD’s Director of Affordable Housing Research and Technology and its remarks about HUD Code manufactured homes. That article came to MHProNews’ attention some 2 weeks ago, shortly after it was published.  As MHProNews periodically does, we decided not to immediately report or comment on Gray’s research and remarks. Why? To see what the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) and others in the MHI orbit who are ‘trade media’ or bloggers had to say about Gray’s report.

With that in mind, on 10.2.2023 MHProNews asked Bing’s AI Chat the following question:

> “Has the Manufactured Housing Institute or any manufactured home trade media commented on HUD report Entitled Expanding Housing Choice Through Investments an Innovation and Technology?”

Here is Bing’s response on 10.2.2023.

I could not find any specific comments from the Manufactured Housing Institute or any manufactured home trade media on the HUD report entitled “Expanding Housing Choice Through Investments in Innovation and Technology.” However, I found a report from the Manufactured Housing Institute that states that manufactured homes are an affordable housing solution for lower and middle-income families ².” More on that in Part II of this article, further below.

• Part I of today’s report is Gray’s article as posted on the HUD website.
• Part II is additional information with more MHProNews analysis and commentary.
• Part III is our Daily Business News on MHProNews macro- and manufactured home industry connected firm and updates.

Part I.

Expanding Housing Choice through Investments in Innovation and Technology

Regina C. Gray, Director, Affordable Housing Research and Technology Division, Office of Policy Development & Research

As the Office of Policy Development and Research celebrates its 50th anniversary, the time is right to reflect on our progress in promoting investments in technology that can offer Americans more affordable housing options and transform the homebuilding industry. The drive to build housing more quickly, cheaply, and efficiently is a challenge that HUD has grappled with since its inception. Lessons learned from the Operation Breakthrough demonstration in the late 1960s provide a lens through which we have witnessed considerable progress in industrialized construction. The demonstration was the first attempt to highlight the value of innovation — a new, creative approach to housing construction and building materials — alongside the incorporation of technologies that improve housing performance.

Despite the demonstration’s short-lived success, the program achieved its underlying objective: mass-producing tens of thousands of affordable units. Operation Breakthrough’s biggest accomplishment, however, was the adoption of the HUD Code, which introduced the industry and the world to manufactured housing. The Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards Program, which governs the HUD Code, established design, performance, and installation standards for manufactured homes built after June 15, 1976 (“Manufactured Home Construction and Safety Standards,” 2015). In 1994, updated HUD Code energy standards raised minimum insulation requirements and mandated whole house ventilation systems for manufactured homes. Homes built to these standards enhance quality and safety and improve energy performance.

We believe that manufactured housing, once used interchangeably with the term “mobile homes,” is an important segment of the housing stock with the potential to increase the supply of affordable housing for low-income Americans. Since the establishment of the HUD Code, manufactured housing (and offsite construction in general) has undergone many technological, design, and financing changes that have made it indistinguishable in many respects from conventional site-built housing. In fact, in our recent engagements with international delegations, officials have characterized the HUD Code as a precursor to innovation in industrialized construction. Although discussions to modernize the HUD Code are ongoing, nations such as Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Japan look to the code to demonstrate the benefits of industrialized housing construction. As we continue to build our Learning Agenda around innovation and technology, we look to adopt national and international best practices that work.

The Affordable Housing Research and Technology Division (AHRT) provides guidance on technological advancements in housing for HUD through research, data analysis, policy, and demonstrations. Throughout the 1990s and into the new century, AHRT did most of its creative work through the Partnership for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH). PATH was a public/private initiative that sought to expand the development and use of new technologies to make American homes stronger, safer, and more durable; energy efficient and environmentally friendly; easier to maintain and less costly to operate; and more comfortable places in which to live. PATH linked key agencies in the federal government with leaders from the homebuilding, product manufacturing, insurance, financial, and regulatory communities in a unique partnership focused on technological innovation in the American housing industry. PATH’s mission was to highlight building materials, products, tools and equipment, and systems that are incorporated into housing units and developments to improve performance.

PATH was an ambitious research program that greatly expanded the knowledge base of innovation and technology in housing. Through sponsored research, AHRT researchers learned how building technologies can create a positive impact on housing performance and outcomes. Our research demonstrated that making long-term investments in innovative technologies, such as insulated concrete forms and structural insulated panels, not only improve housing quality but also reduce costs and preserve affordability. AHRT produced more than 100 groundbreaking research products that focused on durable construction materials and installation techniques, improved indoor air quality, investments in technologies that reduce energy consumption in housing, and advancements in offsite construction. Although the PATH program eventually ended, HUD’s mission to show how investments in innovative housing technologies produce high-quality housing continued throughout the following decade and to this day.

The fact that we face challenges to industry uptake of innovative technologies is no secret. The housing industry itself is very diffuse, segmented, and risk averse, with few investments in research and development. PD&R has addressed these challenges head on through its commitment to a robust research and development agenda that helps the housing industry understand its role in advancing innovative technologies. AHRT’s objective is to reduce industry misconceptions and risk aversion to the adoption of new technologies. In a recent publication focused on reducing barriers to innovation in housing, we learned that in efforts to convince housing industry professionals to consider adopting cutting-edge housing technologies, biases and uncertainties persist. Many in the industry believe that adopting new technologies is risky because doing so may increase the cost of materials and skilled labor and slow the construction timetable. These costs, skeptics assert, ultimately get passed on to the consumer in the form of higher housing prices. Improving education on both the supply and demand side of the housing equation, along with presenting a compelling argument backed by empirical evidence for continued investment in research and development, will go a long way toward overcoming this skepticism. Getting persuasive research into industry hands, however, has been challenging — until recently.

With the launch of the Office of Innovation in 2018, PD&R had a vehicle through which AHRT could effectively articulate ways in which the industry could convert research results and technological innovations into feasible actions. The office assisted AHRT in three important aspects: facilitating discussions with industry representatives about our research findings and policy recommendations, promoting the development of the ongoing building technology research grant program, and assisting AHRT with the inaugural Innovative Housing Showcase in 2019.

Through outreach and engaging industry stakeholders, the research community, sister agencies, and affiliated organizations, including the U.S. Department of Energy, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), AHRT partnered with experts to develop a robust building technology agenda and research program that has produced more than two dozen studies, guidebooks and toolkits that strengthen the evidence base on how innovative solutions to housing challenges positively impact the preservation of affordable housing. Topics typically focused on the adoption of housing technologies such as high-performing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems that improve comfort and indoor air quality; mass timber in industrialized housing; durable housing construction in Indian Country; disaster-proof resilient materials; strategies for reducing carbon emissions in housing; advancements in mass timber and steel construction; and further explorations in market research of offsite construction.

The most recent building technology research grant program asks researchers to help PD&R continue to build on the evidence regarding the potential of offsite construction as an affordable housing solution. Researchers are also tasked with identifying strategies adopted by local governments to reduce restrictive land use zoning requirements that often impede housing construction and reduce the housing supply, which typically cause housing prices to rise. The program resulted from engagement with the National Institute of Building Sciences, which helped PD&R facilitate discussions with the research community, along with MOD X, a research-based consulting firm based in the northeast. The team worked with industry experts, including code officials, to host several events exploring recent domestic and international trends in offsite construction. This engagement not only resulted in several agenda-setting accomplishments, including the Offsite Construction learning agenda, but it also gave PD&R the opportunity to work with the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the International Code Council, the National Institute of Building Sciences, and MOD X to host followup panel discussions at the National Building Museum. The meetings would complement the third annual Innovative Housing Showcase, which was held earlier this summer.

This year’s Innovative Housing Showcase involved a joint effort with NAHB to feature innovative housing technologies and construction on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. HUD invited more than a dozen manufacturers and builders to participate alongside representatives from HUD program offices and other federal agencies. Just in time for Homeownership Month, the showcase’s theme was making the pathway to homeownership easier, particularly for those who often face the greatest barriers. As in previous exhibitions, this year’s showcase featured various housing designs and models that employ offsite construction methods, demonstrating many potential housing configurations that consumers can customize according to their needs and preferences. Setting this year’s event apart from previous showcases was the addition of an ADU Alley highlighting accessory dwelling units, which proved to be quite popular with the public, along with exhibits showcasing box homes that can be assembled and installed quickly and then broken down and transported where needed — offering potential uses as shelter for people experiencing homelessness, as a homestay, or as housing for an aging parent.

The Showcase culminated with a house party hosted by HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge to raise awareness about the potential for offsite construction as a promising alternative approach to homeownership. This year’s Innovative Housing Showcase attracted more visitors to the National Mall than did the previous two events, and we felt that we had accomplished what we set out to do: informing interested consumers and skeptics alike about the potential for innovative housing technologies to advance more affordable housing solutions. In the meantime, we continue to build our research capacity and raise awareness of the importance and benefits of technology adoption in housing construction. ## (Published on HUD’s site on 9.19.2023).

Part II – Additional Information with More MHProNews Analysis and Commentary 

“Operation Breakthrough’s biggest accomplishment, however, was the adoption of the HUD Code, which introduced the industry and the world to manufactured housing,” said Regina Gray in the article above.  Gray added: ” in our recent engagements with international delegations, officials have characterized the HUD Code as a precursor to innovation in industrialized construction. Although discussions to modernize the HUD Code are ongoing, nations such as Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Japan look to the code to demonstrate the benefits of industrialized housing construction. As we continue to build our Learning Agenda around innovation and technology, we look to adopt national and international best practices that work.” Those and other remarks are potentially useful for the manufactured home industry. Which begs the following inquiries.

On 10.2.2023 MHProNews asked Bing’s AI Chat function the following question:

> “Has the Manufactured Housing Institute or any manufactured home trade media commented on HUD PD&R research authored by Pamela Blumenthal and Regina Gray published 9.7.2021?”

I have searched the web for you and found a few results that might be of interest. According to a news article on Manufactured Home Pro News, the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) declared that HUD is highlighting promising reforms in land use and zoning regulations ¹. However, I could not find any direct comments from MHI or any other manufactured home trade media on the research authored by Pamela Blumenthal and Regina Gray published on September 7, 2021 ^{2 3}.

Learn more:

1. manufacturedhomepronews.com 2. manufacturedhomelivingnews.com 3. manufacturedhomepronews.com 4. einnews.com

So, MHProNews and MHLivingNews – per Bing’s AI chat search function – are the only trade media that have reported on the insightful research by Pamela Blumenthal and Regina Gray. Nor could Bing find any mention by MHI of their useful research report.  Recall that MHI’s finally touted their newly updated website (see Part III of the first link below), which MHProNews research suggests has had previously provided information removed from the public side of their website.

State Attorney General Files Charges Against Manufactured Housing ‘Fraudsters for Deception’-AG Says ‘Our Team Works to Protect Little Guy from Slick Hustlers;’ plus Sunday Weekly Headlines Recap

New Curtains – Surprise! Manufactured Housing Institute ‘Newly Updated’ Website – What’s Changed, What’s the Same at U.S. Manufactured Home Association Website? Analysis plus MHVille Market Update

Recall that the Washington, D.C. based Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) pushed forward the statutory evidence-based notion that HUD’s role in manufactured housing IS NOT limited to merely regulatory or data related items. The article below was posted on May 1, 2023. A few months later, Gray posted her item on HUD’s website above. It may be a coincidence. Or it may be a type of ‘response’ to what MHARR argued that HUD should be doing to promote or “facilitate” more manufactured homes.

Either way, missing from Gray’s generally positive insights on manufactured housing is any mention of the fact that for almost a year, manufactured home production has been in decline.  Articles related to that are linked below which include comparisons with conventional housing.

As Housing Costs Rise News Sites Ask ‘Did Bidenomics Kill American Dream?’ With Latest 50 State-MH Data and Will Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) Tackle This? Plus MHVille Market Updates

Texas Real Estate Research Center ‘Sentiments’ vs. Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform ‘Official Data’ – Facts and Analysis, plus MHVille Markets Update

According to informed sources, several HUD professionals – as well as others in federal and state government – are regular readers of MHProNews/MHLivingNews. That said, given the opportunity to respond to inquiries by MHProNews, Gray declined comment.

On 9.26.2023 at 4:48 PM, MHProNews sent Gray the following inquiry.

Regina,

We are the largest known and most read trade publication focused on the manufactured housing industry. As you may know, we periodically reference the article you and Pamela Blumenthal co-authored on 9.7.2021. I think it’s important because it makes clear that politicians have been talking about affordable housing for 50 years and yet there is a distinct lack of progress. That said, when your post below was brought to my attention, I read it with keen interest.

https://www.huduser.gov/portal/pdredge/pdr-edge-frm-asst-sec-091923.html

Let me ask a simple question. Why didn’t you mention the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 (MHIA) and its so-called “enhanced preemption” provision?

Your reply can be on or off the record. We do longer form articles, so there is no word limit. If your reply is off the record, please indicate that clearly and that is how it will be handled. Thank you.

Tony

L.A. “Tony” Kovach
Managing Member
LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC
DBAs:
MHLivingNews.com | MHProNews.com | LATonyKovach.com …

Connect on LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach

##

Unlike officials at the FHFA or other federal agencies, HUD’s Gray opted not to respond.

MHProNews poised the following search inquiry to Bing’s AI Chat function:

> “Has HUD’s Regina Gray mentioned in any article the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 and its enhanced preemption provision?”

Bing’s reply to that was as follows.

Learn more:

1. manufacturedhousingassociationregulatoryreform.org2. hud.gov3. bing.com4. manufacturedhomepronews.com5. manufacturedhomepronews.com6. federalregister.gov“

For those with an eye for detail, Bing didn’t answer the question about Gray. So, MHProNews pressed that point with Bing’s AI by refining the question:

>> “But has Regina Gray made reference to the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 and its enhanced preemption provision?”

 

I’m sorry, but I couldn’t find any information about Regina Gray mentioning the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 and its enhanced preemption provision. However, I found a document from the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform that mentions the 2000 Act and its enhanced preemption provision. The document states that the 2000 Act expanded the reach of federal preemption to include state or local “requirements” that interfere with federal “superintendence” of the industry. This includes discriminatory zoning mandates that have the effect of excluding mainstream manufactured homes. The law was enacted to expand the availability and affordability of manufactured housing¹.

I also found a FAQ page on HUD’s website that provides information about the 2000 Act. According to this page, the 2000 Act significantly amended the Manufactured Housing Construction and Safety Standards Act by creating new mandates for manufactured home installation and dispute resolution².

…

Learn more:

1. manufacturedhousingassociationregulatoryreform.org2. manufacturedhousingassociationregulatoryreform.org3. bing.com4. manufacturedhomepronews.com5. manufacturedhomepronews.com6. hud.gov”

Here is another follow up inquiry:

>> “Has the Manufactured Housing Institute published any article that specifically mentions the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act (MHIA) and its enhanced preemption provision?”

I found an article on Manufactured Home Pro News that mentions the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 and its enhanced preemption provision. The article reports that the 2000 Act expanded the reach of federal preemption to include state or local “requirements” that interfere with federal “superintendence” of the industry. This includes discriminatory zoning mandates that have the effect of excluding mainstream manufactured homes. The law was enacted to expand the availability and affordability of manufactured housing¹.

…

Learn more:

1. manufacturedhomepronews.com2. einnews.com3. manufacturedhousingassociationregulatoryreform.org“

Again, for those with an eye to detail, Bing’s AI didn’t answer the question asked about MHI. So, MHProNews rephrased the question as follows:

> “Has the Manufactured Housing Institute published any article on their website or in an op-ed that specifically mentions the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act (MHIA) and its enhanced preemption provision?”

I found an article on Manufactured Home Pro News that mentions the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 and its enhanced preemption provision. The article reports that the 2000 Act expanded the reach of federal preemption to include state or local “requirements” that interfere with federal “superintendence” of the industry. This includes discriminatory zoning mandates that have the effect of excluding mainstream manufactured homes. The law was enacted to expand the availability and affordability of manufactured housing¹.

I also found a press release on Manufactured Housing Institute’s website that mentions the 2000 Act and its enhanced preemption provision. The press release states that the 2000 Act expanded the reach of federal preemption to include state or local “requirements” that interfere with federal “superintendence” of the industry. This includes discriminatory zoning mandates that have the effect of excluding mainstream manufactured homes. The law was enacted to expand the availability and affordability of manufactured housing².

…

Learn more:

1. manufacturedhomepronews.com 2. manufacturedhousing.org 3. einnews.com 4. manufacturedhousingassociationregulatoryreform.org 5. manufacturedhousing.org 6. manufacturedhomepronews.com 7. manufacturedhomelivingnews.com 8. manufacturedhomepronews.com”

The link above (#2) to the MHI website is to their homepage. On this date and time (10.2.2023 circa 3:50 PM ET), there is no mention of the MHIA on the home page. Nor is there any mention of “enhanced preemption.”

Link #5 is also to the MHI website. As the screen capture below reflects, that link takes someone following the search result to a member only page. Even if the MHIA and “enhanced preemption” is mentioned there, it IS NOT available to the public at large.  Isn’t it obvious that this is the opposite of what MHI should do if they are truly interested in getting these provisions of federal law fully and properly enforced?

MHI has mentioned these issues in letters to HUD.
But MHI has failed to make them publicly available on their own website – where is the logic of that?

One more follow up was asked Bing AI, useful for newcomers as well as others in the industry.

>> “Many have not been told, or do not grasp, the potential for the so-called “enhanced preemption” provision of the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 20000 (MHIA) to overcome zoning discrimination against HUD Code manufactured homes. Can you provide an explanation for the sake of those who need clarification of that enhanced preemption provision of the MHIA?”

 

The Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 expanded the reach of federal preemption to include state or local “requirements” that interfere with federal “superintendence” of the industry. This includes discriminatory zoning mandates that have the effect of excluding mainstream manufactured homes. The law was enacted to expand the availability and affordability of manufactured housing¹².

The enhanced preemption provision of the MHIA provides that if a state or local law or regulation is in conflict with a federal law or regulation, the federal law or regulation will take precedence over the state or local law or regulation. This means that if a state or local government enacts a zoning ordinance that discriminates against HUD Code manufactured homes, the ordinance may be preempted by federal law¹².

In other words, if a state or local government enacts a zoning ordinance that has the effect of excluding mainstream manufactured homes, the enhanced preemption provision of the MHIA may be used to challenge the ordinance in court. If successful, this challenge would result in the ordinance being invalidated and replaced by a federal standard¹².

I hope this explanation helps!

Learn more:

1. manufacturedhousingassociationregulatoryreform.org 2. manufacturedhousingassociationregulatoryreform.org 3. bing.com 4. manufacturedhomepronews.com 5. who13.com 6. manufacturedhomepronews.com 7. hud.gov 8. bclaws.gov.bc.ca“

Note that not one of the references to the MHIA’s enhanced preemption provision are found on the MHI website. From industry sources, they are found instead on the MHARR website, from a mainstream press release by MHProNews, and on MHProNews itself.

 

MHI, trade media and bloggers in the MHI orbit, and their supporters can’t have it both ways. Either they are reliable sources and advocates for robust and sustainable manufactured housing industry growth, or they are not.

As a disclosure, the 18 second video clip of prior MHI president and CEO, Richard “Dick” Jennison saying in his own words that manufactured housing should not seek robust growth was part of the series of events that led this writer and platform from moving from MHI supporters to MHI critics. “I don’t think the industry should grow too fast,” said Jennison. When one of Jennison’s corporate bosses at MHI was pressed about that remark, Jennison’s next public remark on that shifted dramatically to at least giving a verbal nod to a more robust pro-growth stance.  A video on that by Jennison is linked below the quote graphic.

 

 

After years of public pressure from MHARR, from MHProNews, MHLivingNews, and at times from certain people in the MHI orbit, MHI is de facto having to acknowledge and to some degree respond to the pressures from within manufactured housing. William “Bill” Boor, previously announced as MHI’s incoming chairman, accurately told Congress that “The manufactured housing industry is at a critical crossroads due to regulatory barriers and market forces.”

 

 

While HUD’s Gray is touting manufactured housing, the industry is in a production decline.

The solution to the issues identified by third party researchers, such as Harvard’s State of the Nation’s Housing, or attorney and housing advocate Andrew Justus’ remarks, linked below, are ironically already part of federal law. Boor indicated as much. Which begs the question. Why hasn’t MHI sued to enforce the industry’s rights under federal law on issues for zoning and financing barriers?

 

Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies ‘STATE Of The NATION’S HOUSING 2023’ – Manufactured Housing Industry’s 21st Century Collapse-Facts+Analysis Yields Causes, Cures; plus MHMarket Update

Andrew Justus, J.D., Niskanen Center Housing Policy Analyst, Hill Op-Ed Asks and Answers – ‘What’s Holding Back Manufactured Homes?’ Sunday Weekly MHVille Headlines in Review

 

New year-to-date monthly data should be out later today.  MHProNews will report on that this week. While MHI meets time and again at various events every year, the “illusion of motion” and their effort to ignore, suppress, or sideline criticism becomes more apparent. Given the class action antitrust suit underway, some of these issues may in time be the subject matter of depositions, subpoenas for a production of document demands, and other legal efforts. Why hasn’t MHI spent its legal resources on advancing the industry, instead of facing the possible challenge of defending against legal challenges?

The U.S. can solve its affordable housing crisis, said left-leaning Bloomberg and the Washington Post some 10 months ago.  If the industry is at a crossroads, then MHI and its powers that be should be held to account.

 

‘The U.S. Can Solve Its Housing Crisis – It Just Needs To Start Building’ Bloomberg, Washington Post Want More Manufactured Housing in 2023! Plus 2022 Year in Review, Sunday MHVille Weekly Headlines Recap

Industry Insider Offers Defense of Community Operators in Antitrust Case, But Also Possible Attacks (Slurs) too – ‘Unless You Live in a Frank Rolfe Park’-Case #23-cv-6715 v Datacomp, ELS, et al

Several Manufactured Housing Institute Members, Including Manufactured Home Community Owner/Operator Companies and Datacomp, Hit by Big Antitrust Lawsuit; plus MHVille Markets Update

 

But it isn’t just MHI that is being accused of being a tool for greedy consolidators who are happy to see the industry struggle as they buy up businesses, often at a discounted valuation.

 

HUD and other federal officials are also part of the problem. Why aren’t federal laws being properly enforced?  Who has made such allegations? Ironically, MHI. Once more, they can’t have it both ways. See the linked and related reports to learn more.

 

Manufactured housing stocks broadly slide…

Part III – is our Daily Business News on MHProNews stock market recap which features our business-daily at-a-glance update of over 2 dozen manufactured housing industry stocks.

This segment of the Daily Business News on MHProNews is the recap of yesterday evening’s market report, so that investors can see at glance the type of topics may have influenced other investors. Thus, our format includes our signature left (CNN Business) and right (Newsmax) ‘market moving’ headlines.

The macro market move graphics below provide context and comparisons for those invested in or tracking manufactured housing connected equities. Meaning, you can see ‘at a glance’ how manufactured housing connected firms do compared to other segments of the broader equities market.

In minutes a day readers can get a good sense of significant or major events while keeping up with the trends that are impacting manufactured housing connected investing.

Reminder: several of the graphics on MHProNews can be opened into a larger size. For instance: click the image and follow the prompts in your browser or device to OPEN In a New Window. Then, in several browsers/devices you can click the image and increase the size. Use the ‘x out’ (close window) escape or back key to return.

 

Headlines from left-of-center CNN Business – from the evening of 10.2.2023

• Fast food drive-thrus are moving faster than ever, survey finds
• Jamie Dimon, chairman and chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase & Co., speaks during an Economic Club of Detroit event in Detroit, Michigan, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023. Dimon has warned for more than a year that, while the US economy is in good shape now, there are significant headwinds, including geopolitical tensions, a message he reiterated at a conference last week.
• Be prepared for 7% interest rates, warns Jamie Dimon
• The U.S. Capitol Building following passage in the House of a 45-day continuing resolution on September 30, 2023 in Washington, DC. The House voted to pass a short-term, bipartisan funding bill that could avert a government shutdown and sent it to the Senate just hours before a midnight deadline.
• Corporate America praises the ‘adults’ who averted a government shutdown
• A phone screen displays the Truth Social app in Washington, DC, on February 21, 2022.
• A new twist in the Trump Truth Social merger
• The Apple’s new iPhone 15 models are displayed at the Apple The Grove in Los Angeles on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023.
• Apple confirms that a bug and some apps are causing iPhone 15s to overheat
• John Oliver returns to his HBO show, urging more workers to unionize
• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella arrives at federal court on October 2, 2023 in Washington, DC. Nadella is testifying in the antitrust trial to determine if Alphabet Inc.’s Google maintains a monopoly in the online search business, which is expected to last into November.
• Microsoft CEO warns of ‘nightmare’ future for AI if Google’s search dominance continues
• scrolling phone STOCK
• Why everyone’s phone will alarm at 2:20 pm ET on Wednesday
• A woman walks by a Tesla dealership in Mexico City, Mexico, March 3, 2023.
• Tesla sales slow, missing Wall Street forecasts
• Risktakers_2023_Cover_A_16x9
• 11 leaders. 11 big bets. All designed to push global business forward.
• Head of OPEC warns of a ‘dangerous’ lack of investment in oil
• Mack Trucks strike narrowly avoided as company reaches tentative deal with UAW union
• Bernard Arnault’s lawyer dismisses allegations of money laundering as ‘absurd’
• Sam Bankman-Fried’s fraud trial is about to start. Here’s what you need to know
• A landmark marijuana bill is headed to the Senate floor
• Has China’s economy bottomed out? Factory output and ‘Golden Week’ travel offer glimmers of hope
• Feeling lucky? A $1.04 billion Powerball jackpot is up for grabs in tonight’s drawing
• Diamond prices are down as people spend more on travel and food
• Health care is in crisis. The looming strike by 75,000 health workers is just another sign of that
• A contract for 75,000 Kaiser Permanente workers expired. Historic US health care strike could start Wednesday
• Americans support strikes — until they affect their daily lives
• Why there was never a good place to put your purse in a car, but there is now
• UBS says reports of DOJ probe into Russia sanctions evasion are wrong

 

Note: to expand this image to a larger or full size, see the instructions
below the graphic below or click the image and follow the prompts.

 

Headlines from right-of-center Newsmax 10.2.2023

• Trump Rails Against ‘Operative’ N.Y. Judge, Urging He Be Disbarred
• “This is a judge that should be disbarred. This is a judge that should be out of office,” Trump said during a break in the proceedings, which he’d opted to attend. “This is a judge that some people say could be charged criminally for what he’s doing. He’s interfering with an election, and it’s a disgrace.” [Full Story]
• Continuing Resolution Fallout
• Alford: House GOP ‘Cannot Waste Time’ Booting McCarthy
• Gaetz Seeks Details on McCarthy’s ‘Secret Side Deal With Ukraine’ | video
• Meuser to Newsmax: McCarthy’s Removal ‘Ridiculous’ | video
• Speaker McCarthy Says ‘Bring It On’ After Rep. Gaetz Vows Notice to Vacate
• Dems Plot Strategy on Potential McCarthy Ouster
• Graham: ‘Disaster’ If GOP, Dems Oust McCarthy
• Biden Signs 45-Day CR: ‘Sick, Tired’ of ‘Brinkmanship’
• Rich McCormick: McCarthy Won’t Be Ousted | video
• AOC: Would Vote to Oust ‘Very Weak’ McCarthy
• Ex-Rep. Collins: Rep. Bowman Must Face Consequences
• Pam Bondi: James Shouldn’t Be Allowed to Prosecute Trump | video
• Alford: House GOP ‘Cannot Waste Time’ Booting McCarthy | video
• Elder: Letitia James’ Conduct Grounds for ‘Almost Disbarment’ | video
• Meuser: McCarthy’s Removal ‘Ridiculous’ | video
• Napolitano: Trump in Court to Face Judge | video
• McCormick: Speaker McCarthy Won’t Be Ousted | video
• Whitaker: Bowman’s Alarm Act ‘Obviously’ Obstruction | video
• Supreme Court Rejects John Eastman Appeal on Emails
• The Supreme Court on Monday, with Justice Clarence Thomas recusing himself, turned away an appeal by John Eastman in a case involving 10 emails that he had sought to shield from congressional investigators…. [Full Story]
• Implant Device Aims to Cure Cancer in 60 Days
• A team of researchers at Rice University has received $45 million in [Full Story]
• Gaetz: Notice to Vacate Hinges on McCarthy ‘Side Deal’
• Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., wants House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, [Full Story]
• Speaker McCarthy Says ‘Bring It On’ After Rep. Gaetz Vows Notice to Vacate
• Kosovo Carnage Spurs NATO Troop Increase
• In recent months Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has ratcheted up [Full Story]
• Related
• Serbia’s President: No Serbian Troop Buildup Near Kosovo
• NATO Confirms 600 UK Troops Deployed to Kosovo
• Serbia Withdraws Troops Near Kosovo Amid Tensions
• Kosovo Warns of Serbian Troop Deployment Resembling Russia
• Conservatives Challenge Pope on Women, Same-Sex Couples
• Conservative Catholics have launched a barrage of challenges to Pope [Full Story]
• Rasmussen Poll: Most Say Homelessness Worsening
• Spartz Threatens Resignation Over Debt Commission
• Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., on Monday threatened to resign from [Full Story]
• Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Disqualify Trump for ’24
• The Supreme Court on Monday turned away a case involving whether [Full Story]
• Related
• Monmouth Poll: 76 Percent Said Biden Too Old
• Dick Morris: If RFK Jr. Runs as Independent, Biden Is Cooked
• Gizzi: Who Will RFK, Jr.’s 3rd Party Run Hurt Most? |video
• Republicans in ’23 Governor Races Argue Biden Is on Ballot
• Biden Policies Driving Anti-Taliban Forces Toward Russia, Iran
• Biden administration policies barring the U.S. government from [Full Story] | Platinum Article
• Trump: ‘No Crime,’ ‘No Victim,’ but Me
• A defiant former President Donald Trump addressed the gaggle of media [Full Story] | video
• Trump Arrives for Start of ‘Scam, Sham’ Trial Brought by AG James
• Trump Opening Statement: Made ‘Fortune Being Right’ on Assets
• Trump Rages Against ‘Operative’ N.Y. Judge
• Dershowitz to Newsmax: NY AG Puts Trump ‘Below the Law’
• Russia: US Won’t End Ukraine Aid, Despite War Fatigue
• The Kremlin said Monday it believed fatigue with the Ukraine war [Full Story]
• Related
• Ukraine Says It Is Too Early to Judge Impact of Slovak Election
• Jean-Pierre’s Verbal McCarthy Slip: ‘Speaker McKraine’ |video
• Musk Under Fire for Meme Mocking Zelenskyy
• Newsom’s California Senate Pick Lives in Maryland
• Laphonza Butler, California Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom’s appointment [Full Story]
• Related
• Newsom Picks Emily’s List Pres for Feinstein Seat
• October Watch: Columbus Controversy, Meteors, Monsters
• Break out the gourds, goblins, and gravestones – the countdown to [Full Story] | Platinum Article
• McDonald’s, Wendy’s Defeat Lawsuit Over Burger Size
• McDonald’s and Wendy’s have defeated a lawsuit accusing them of [Full Story]
• Marine Corps Recruitment Program Questioned
• A Marine Corps program created to attract minority officers is being [Full Story]
• Supreme Court Gun Ruling Might Help Hunter Biden
• Hunter Biden might get a legal boost from an unlikely source the [Full Story]
• Online Pedophile Hunter Gunned Down in Michigan
• Michigan online pedophile hunter Robert Wayne Lee, 40, known as [Full Story]
• Trump: Prosecute, Imprison Rep. Bowman
• Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., should be “prosecuted and imprisoned” for [Full Story]
• VP Harris Allies Hope Gun Assignment Will Reset Image
• Allies to Vice President Kamala Harris are hoping her new assignment [Full Story]
• Iran Official Admits Role in 1980s Beirut Bombings
• Iran played a major role in ordering, planning, and carrying out [Full Story]
• Third of Medicaid Opioid Patients Lack Treatment
• Medications that cut cravings have been shown to help with opioid use [Full Story]
• 2 COVID Vaccine Tech Scientists Win Nobel Prize
• Hungarian scientist Katalin Kariko and U.S. colleague Drew Weissman, [Full Story]
• Dick Morris: If RFK Jr. Runs as Independent, Biden Is Cooked
• As long as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. focuses his ambitions on a [Full Story]
• Dems Plot Strategy on Potential McCarthy Ouster
• An email from House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., obtained [Full Story]
• Trump Urges Iowa Voters for ‘Historic Landslide’ in ’24
• Former President Donald Trump campaigned in southeast Iowa on Sunday [Full Story]
• Court Blocks Grant for Black Women Entrepreneurs
• A grant program for businesses run by Black women was temporarily [Full Story]
• NKorea Slams UN Nuclear Agency as US Mouthpiece
• North Korea denounced the U.N. atomic watchdog for joining a U.S.-led [Full Story]
• Voter Registration Change Draws Trump’s Ire
• Donald Trump has a familiar target in his sights: Pennsylvania’s [Full Story]
• UK PM Sunak: No Plans to Send Our Troops to Ukraine
• There are no immediate plans to deploy military instructors to [Full Story]
• Haley: Funding Ukraine More Bolsters US Security
• There’s not enough funding for Ukraine in the freshly passed stopgap [Full Story]
• Manhattan DA Sued Over ‘Racial Equity’ Pursuit
• The New York City district attorney who indicted former President [Full Story]
• US Homeowners Ditching Solar Panels for This – Powers Your Entire Home [Watch]
• Easy DIY Power Plan
• More Newsfront
• Finance
• Microsoft CEO: Google Mobile Search Argument ‘Bogus’
• Microsoft chief executive Satya Nadella Monday took the witness stand in the U.S. Justice Department’s once-in-a-generation antitrust fight with Alphabet’s Google…. [Full Story]
• 10-Year Treasury Yields Highest in 16 Years
• X Hit With Trademark Lawsuit by Marketing Agency
• GM, Stellantis Face $9.5B in US Fuel Economy Fines
• Manufacturing Rebounds; Construction Spending Solid
• More Finance
• Health
• Scientists Gain Insight Into COVID’s Heart Impact
• New research shows the COVID-19 virus can directly infect coronary arteries, inflaming fatty plaque inside them, which can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke. This may explain why some people who get COVID-19 have a greater chance of developing heart disease. It…… [Full Story]
• Germs Love Two Skin ‘Hot Spots’ on Your Body
• A Boom in HSAs Can Save Our Health System
• Want a Healthy Old Age? Get Your Finances in Order.
• What to Know as Fall Vaccinations Get Underway

Note: to expand this image to a larger or full size, see the instructions
below the graphic below or click the image and follow the prompts.

• • • NOTE 1: Chart above of manufactured housing connected equities includes the Canadian stock, ECN, which purchased Triad Financial Services, a manufactured home industry finance lender.
    • NOTE 2: Drew changed its name and trading symbol at the end of 2016 to Lippert (LCII).
    • NOTE 3: Deer Valley was largely taken private, say company insiders in a message to MHProNews on 12.15.2020, but there are still some outstanding shares of the stock from the days when it was a publicly traded firm.  Thus, there is still periodic activity on DVLY.
    • Note 4: some recent or related reports to the REITs, stocks, and other equities named above follow in the reports linked below.

2023 …Berkshire Hathaway is the parent company to Clayton Homes, 21^st Mortgage, Vanderbilt Mortgage and other factory-built housing industry suppliers.
· LCI Industries, Patrick, UFPI, and LP each are suppliers to the manufactured housing industry, among others.
· AMG, CG, and TAVFX have investments in manufactured housing related businesses. For insights from third-parties and clients about our publisher, click here.

 

2022 was a tough year for many stocks. Unfortunately, that pattern held true for manufactured home industry (MHVille) connected stocks too. See the facts, linked above.

====================================

Disclosure. MHProNews holds no positions in the stocks in this report.

· For expert manufactured housing business development or other professional services, click here.
· To sign up in seconds for our industry leading emailed headline news updates, click here.

• Note 1: MHVille means manufactured housing industry, MHVille also means artificially smaller manufactured housing (MH) industry,
• Note 2: Manufactured housing, building, factories, retail, dealers, manufactured home, communities, passive mobile home park investing, suppliers, brokers, finance, financial services, macro-markets, manufactured housing stocks, Manufactured Home Communities Real Estate Investment Trusts, MHC REITs.

That’s a wrap on this installment of “News Through the Lens of Manufactured Homes and Factory-Built Housing” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” © (Affordable housing, manufactured homes, stock, investing, data, metrics, reports, fact-checks, analysis, and commentary. Third-party images or content are provided under fair use guidelines for media.) (See Related Reports, further below. Text/image boxes often are hot-linked to other reports that can be access by clicking on them.)

By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHProNews.
Tony earned a journalism scholarship along with numerous awards in history. There have been several awards, honors and numerous public recognitions for his achievements in manufactured housing. For example, he earned the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and business management. Kovach is a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com, which is ranked as the runaway most read trade media in modern manufactured housing history. This article reflects the LLC’s and/or the writer’s editorial views and may or may not reflect the views of sponsors or supporters.