U.S. housing data adds to signs of weak first-quarter GDP growth

U.S. housing starts fell more than expected in March and permits for future home construction hit a one-year low, suggesting some cooling in the housing market in line with signs of a sharp slowdown in economic growth in the first quarter. Groundbreaking decreased 8.8 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 1.09 million units, the lowest level since October, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast housing starts slipping to a 1.17 million-unit p