Housing Starts Increase: A Bet on the Spring Tax Credit?

WASHINGTON — U.S. builders started work on homes in December at the fastest pace since the summer of 2008 and finished 2012 as their best year for residential construction since the early stages of the housing crisis. The Commerce Department said Thursday that builders broke ground on houses and apartments at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 954,000. That’s 12.1 percent higher than November’s annual rate and nearly double the recession low reached in April 2009. For the year, builders started work on 780,000 homes.

(WASHINGTON) — U.S. builders started more houses and apartments in February, while requesting permits for future construction at the fastest pace in 4 ½ years. The increases point to a housing recovery that is gaining strength. The Commerce Department said Tuesday that builders broke ground on homes last month at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 917,000. That’s up from 910,000 in January. And it’s the second-fastest pace since June 2008, behind December’s pace of 982,000. Single-family home construction increased to an annual rate of 618,000, the most in 4 ½ years.

(WASHINGTON) — U.S. builders started more houses and apartments in February, while requesting permits for future construction at the fastest pace in 4 ½ years. The increases point to a housing recovery that is gaining strength. The Commerce Department said Tuesday that builders broke ground on homes last month at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 917,000. That’s up from 910,000 in January. And it’s the second-fastest pace since June 2008, behind December’s pace of 982,000. Single-family home construction increased to an annual rate of 618,000, the most in 4 ½ years.

WASHINGTON — U.S. homebuilders began work at a slower pace in January than in December, though activity was the third-highest since 2008. The steady pace of construction is a sign of continued strengthening in residential real estate. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that builders started work at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 890,000 homes last month. That was down 8.5 percent from December, when housing starts had hit an annual rate of 973,000, the most since June 2008.

WASHINGTON — U.S. homebuilders began work at a slower pace in January than in December, though activity was the third-highest since 2008. The steady pace of construction is a sign of continued strengthening in residential real estate. The Commerce Department said Wednesday that builders started work at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 890,000 homes last month. That was down 8.5 percent from December, when housing starts had hit an annual rate of 973,000, the most since June 2008.

IT'S difficult to imagine a scenario in which America's labour market recovery proceeded as rapidly as the one following the 1982 downturn. This was a different sort of recession, and history tells us that recoveries in the wake of debt busts and financial crises are long and slow. Still, things looked somewhat promising back in the spring of this year. Private employment, which had begun growing again in January of 2010, rose by 158,000 jobs in March and by 241,000 jobs in April.