The U.S. Census Bureau said privately-owned housing starts in June were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,215,000, 8.3% above the revised May estimate of 1,122,000, and 2.1% above the June 2016 rate of 1,190,000. Single-family housing starts in June were at a rate of 849,000, 6.3% above the revised May figure of 799,000. The June rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 359,000.
The Eye On Housing blog published by National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), Washington, D.C., said builder confidence in the market for newly-built single-family homes slipped two points to 64 in July from a downwardly revised June reading on the Housing Market Index (HMI) it publishes each month with Wells Fargo.
