April 15 (Reuters) - U.S. homebuilder confidence held

steady in April at the highest since last July, snapping four

months of gains with uncertainty about interest rates keeping

potential home buyers hesitant, data released Monday showed.

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo

Housing Market Index was unchanged this month at 51. Measures of

current sales and prospective buyer traffic both ticked up to

their highest levels since August while the survey's measure of

sales in the next six months slipped.

"April's flat reading suggests potential for demand growth

is there, but buyers are hesitating until they can better gauge

where interest rates are headed," said NAHB Chief Economist

Robert Dietz. "With the markets now adjusting to rates being

somewhat higher due to recent inflation readings, we still

anticipate the Federal Reserve will announce future rate cuts

later this year, and that mortgage rates will moderate in the

second half of 2024."