Homebuilder Beazer Homes USA Inc. reports earnings for its fiscal fourth quarter on Tuesday. The following is a summary of key developments in the period.

The housing bust left homebuilders with plenty of red ink on their books as they walked away from swaths of land they no longer needed.

Among the earnings stories for Wednesday, Nov. 4, from AP Financial News:

Pulte Homes Inc. lost $361.4 million in the third quarter, but with the acquisition of Centex Corp., the homebuilder increased sales by more than a third.

Pulte Homes Wednesday posted a third-quarter loss that disappointed analysts, but affirmed the consensus that the home-building industry was slowly stabilizing, sending shares up slightly in premarket trading.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pulte Homes Inc <PHM.N> raised its forecast for efficiencies and savings from its acquisition of rival Centex Corp, overshadowing a quarterly loss and sending its shares up 7.5 percent.

Pulte Homes Inc. lost $361.4 million in the third quarter, but with the acquisition of Centex Corp., the homebuilder's new orders increased by more than a third.

What follows is a roundup of corporate earnings reports for Wednesday, Nov. 4.

Homebuilder Pulte Homes Inc. reports earnings for the third quarter on Wednesday. The following is a summary of key developments and analyst commentary related to the period:

By Edward Krudy

Continued signs of stabilization in the market, from a reversal of falling home price to a tightening in credit spreads, have analysts optimistic about the builders' future. No wonder the sector is hot.

New home sales rose a tepid 0.7 percent last month, missing Wall Street expectations and providing more evidence the housing market recovery remains tentative.

Stocks rallied to their highest closes since November Monday following encouraging economic reports from the U.S. and abroad and following news that auto sales got a boost from the "Cash for Clunkers" program.

Stocks rallied Monday after a pair of encouraging reports on the manufacturing sector, plus strong bank earnings out of Europe and expectations for strong auto sales. The S&P briefly topped 1,000, a level it hasn't seen since November.

Stocks got a quick pop at the open Monday after some strong bank earnings out of Europe and expectations that auto sales will show a boost from the "Cash for Clunkers" program. But the rally quickly fizzled.