The Economy & the Fed

Housing Starts

The number of new homes on which construction began in a month, counted when the foundation is dug, from the Census Bureau's monthly survey with HUD. An apartment building counts once for every home in it. The month's count is restated as a seasonally adjusted yearly pace, so about 100,000 homes started in a month reads as roughly 1.2 million. Because building sets off months of spending on materials, labor and furnishings, starts are a leading indicator of the economy, and they move with mortgage rates.

Educational information, not investment advice. See it applied across the screener →