{
  "id": 1806651,
  "title": "Home Depot sales rise as US housing slump deters big projects",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/home-depot-sales-rise-as-us-housing-slump-deters-big-projects",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-18T21:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Qatar Tribune Business",
    "slug": "qatar-tribune-business",
    "url": "https://www.qatar-tribune.com/article/249406/business/home-depot-sales-rise-as-us-housing-slump-deters-big-projects"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Home Depot's sales increased during the second quarter as customers focused on smaller home improvement projects amid a persisting U.S. housing slump. Total revenue climbed to $47.86 billion, surpassing Wall Street's expectations of $47.24 billion, according to a FactSet survey. Global sales at stores open for at least a year grew by 1.7%, while U.S. comparable store sales rose by 1.3%.\n\nChief Financial Officer Richard McPhail attributed the sales growth to broad-based demand as customers engaged in smaller projects. Customer transactions dropped by 1% in the quarter, but shoppers spent more per average receipt, at $92.50 compared to $90.01 a year earlier. Neil Saunders, managing director of GlobalData, noted that the number of bigger-ticket projects decreased by 2.1% over the prior year, a concern shared by many businesses relying on credit. However, smaller projects saw a 1.5% increase over the previous year, marking a positive shift from previous declines.\n\nMcPhail expressed optimism about Home Depot's resilience, emphasizing the company's focus on aspects it can control despite ongoing consumer uncertainty and housing affordability issues. The U.S. housing market has been in a slump since 2022, with mortgage rates rising from historic lows, making homebuying more challenging. Existing home sales in July fell by 1.7% compared to June, with NAR reporting that home prices reached unprecedented levels that month.",
  "summary": "AgenciesHome Depot’s sales improved during its second quarter as customers focused on smaller projects during the summer months with the U.S. housing sector still mired in a slump....",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Fast Company",
        "title": "Home Depot posts solid 2nd quarter gains, but housing slump leaves outlook unchanged for rest of 2026",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/home-depot-posts-solid-2nd-quarter-gains-but-housing-slump-leaves",
        "published": "2026-08-18T14:52:52.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Retail Dive",
        "title": "Pros continue to outperform DIY shoppers at Home Depot",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/pros-continue-to-outperform-diy-shoppers-at-home-depot",
        "published": "2026-08-18T16:10:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}