Housing Starts Are Up

 

Housing starts rose 1.6% in March to an annualized pace of 626k, compared to expectations for a smaller increase to a rate of 610k. March's increase follows an upwardly revised level of 616k in February and a sharp gain in January. Starts were up for the third straight month in March which establishes a modest upward trend for new construction this year. New construction starts are expected to continue drifting higher in the months to come however, gains will likely be mild.