November 27, 2006
New Home Building Activity Falling
New Home Building Activity Falling
New home-building activity in the U.S. resumed its decline in October, tumbling to its lowest level in six years as builders dealt with bloated inventories of unsold property.
According to the Commerce Department, housing starts decreased by 14.6% to a seasonally adjusted 1.486 million annual rate. Building permits, an indicator of future building activity, fell a ninth consecutive time.
The government also lowered its original estimate for September starts, a number some economists considered a fluke. Construction rose 4.9% to 1.740 million in September, revised from an originally reported 5.9% climb to 1.772 million. Starts fell 5.7% in August, 4% during July, and 6.1% in June. Construction rose 6.6% in May.
Economists had expected a less-severe drop in October. The median estimate of 22 economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires was a 5.6% fall to a 1.672 million annual rate. The 14.6% decline was the largest since 16.1% in March 2005, and it carried starts to their lowest since 1.463 million in July 2000.
