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BlueLinx Holdings has expanded its western U.S. footprint with the $96 million acquisition of Disdero Lumber, an Oregon distributor of premium specialty wood products.

The drop in builder sentiment was concentrated in the Northeast, where the gauge slid to its lowest level in years. Confidence was unchanged in the South and Midwest but edged up in the West.

Sentiment among U.S. homebuilders rose for the first time in three months amid a decline in borrowing costs, a sign that housing may stabilize in the year ahead even as the industry remains in a broad slowdown.