Analyst: Higher mortgage rates won't doom Home Depot shares - 2003-08-07
Investors' worries that Home Depot stock will be hurt by higher interest rates and a slowdown in refinancing activity are overblown, according to a report Wednesday from UBS Investment Research.

The UBS report came days after Goldman Sachs analyst Matthew Fassler said rising mortgage rates and the softening refinancing market were the "most problematic leading indicators" faced by retailers such as Home Depot and Lowe's.
Read the full story at Atlanta Journal And Constitution

Home sales surged 25 percent in rush to beat rising mortgage rates - 2003-08-07
Higher mortgage rates sent Western Washington home buyers scurrying last month to beat the increases, boosting sales in July and signaling a sizzling August.

Compared with July 2002, closed sales last month jumped 36 percent in King County and 18.2 percent in Snohomish County, the Northwest Multiple Listing Service reported yesterday. In the 14 counties tracked, closed sales rose more than 25 percent, and pending sales soared 39 percent.
Read the full story at Seattle Times