6 PM After-Hours Flash: Building Permits MoM — Actual: -1.3 | NZ consumer confidence hits three-year low as Middle East oil shock bites | ANZ Ro

Builders are slamming the brakes harder than expected. U.S. building permits plunged 1.3 percent in the latest month, a sharp reversal from the 2.8 percent gain analysts were looking for and the first real crack in housing since last spring.

At the same time, New Zealand’s consumer confidence just crashed to a three-year low. The ANZ-Roy Morgan index dropped 11 points to 80.3 in April, down 20 points in just two months. Inflation expectations spiked to 6.6 percent, personal finances are the weakest since the 2008 crisis, and retailers are bracing for the worst as the Middle East oil shock keeps biting.

European futures are edging lower on the mixed global sentiment while Bitcoin holds just above 63,000 as Asian trading gets underway. Oil remains elevated on the same geopolitical risks hammering Kiwi confidence.

Tomorrow’s SPX open could see early pressure if U.S. housing weakness feeds into broader rate-cut doubts.

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