Rise in Housing Starts Disappoint, Permits Fall

The Commerce Department reported(.pdf) that U.S. housing starts rose 2.8 percent last month, from an upwardly revised seasonally adjusted annual rate of 920,000 in February to 946,000 in April, however, this was below the consensus estimate of 955,000 that was expected, at least in part, due to better weather in the spring after a severe winter.

After jumping in February in anticipation of warmer temperatures in most parts of the country, permits for new construction actually declined last month, falling 2.4 percent from a downwardly revised rate of 1,014,000 to 990,000.

Both measures of U.S. homebuilding activity came in below consensus estimates that were a bit higher than they would otherwise have been, working on the assumption that there would be a larger spring bounce than usual, however, that was not to be.

On a year-over-year basis, permits for new construction – a key leading indicator for the industry – rose 11.2 percent, however, housing starts are actually lower than a year ago, down 6.4 percent, in what was the widest contraction in almost three years.