Housing Starts Clear Expectations in February

Housing starts cleared expectations in February, 3 percent above estimates to a rate of 1,288,000, according to the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Single-family starts increased 6.5 percent to 872,000. Starts for units in buildings with five units or more came in at 396,000.
“This month’s gain in single-family starts is consistent with rising builder confidence in the housing market,” said Granger MacDonald, chairman of the Nationa