US Housing Starts Drop As Permits Rise to 6 Year High

U.S. housing starts unexpectedly fell in October, but a jump in permits to near a 6-1/2-year high suggested the housing market was steadily regaining strength.
Groundbreaking slipped 2.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual 1.009 million-unit pace, the Commerce Department said on Wednesday. September’s starts were revised up to a 1.038 million-unit rate.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast starts rising to a 1.025-million unit rate from September’s previously reported 1.017-million unit pace.

The volatile multifamily homes segment accounted for the decline in housing starts last month. Starts for single-family homes, the largest part of the market, rose for a second straight month to their highest level in nearly a year, a good omen for housing.

While residential construction, home builder sentiment and sales have been trending higher in recent months, sluggish wage growth and stringent lending practices by financial institutions continue to constrain activity.

Still, home building is expected to contribute to gross domestic product in the fourth quarter after being neutral in the July-September period.

via CNBC

Content is for general information purposes only. It is not investment advice or a solution to buy or sell securities. Opinions are the authors; not necessarily that of OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc. or any of its affiliates, subsidiaries, officers or directors. If you would like to reproduce or redistribute any of the content found on MarketPulse, an award winning forex, commodities and global indices analysis and news site service produced by OANDA Business Information & Services, Inc., please access the RSS feed or contact us at info@marketpulse.com. Visit https://www.marketpulse.com/ to find out more about the beat of the global markets. © 2023 OANDA Business Information & Services Inc.