Pursuits
Slump in Housing Starts Leaves U.S. Looking for Growth Drivers
- Construction began on fewest homes last month since October
- Cool consumer spending, weak manufacturing add to hurdles
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A slump in housing starts in March has left the U.S. economy with few obvious drivers to power a rebound from what’s turning out to be a weak first quarter.
Construction began on 1.09 million homes at an annual rate last month, down 8.8 percent from February and the fewest in five months, figures from the Commerce Department showed Tuesday in Washington. Building permits, a proxy for work in the next month or two, also unexpectedly declined, making a quick snap-back in activity less likely.