Starts of new homes are down 11.4 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.324 million units in March after a small downward revision to 1.494 million units in February. The March level is below the consensus of 1.420 million units in the Econoday survey of forecasters. While the February level is a bounce back from the weather-related dip to 1.361 million units in January, the March number suggests that homebuilders are cutting back on new residential construction. Nonetheless, starts are up 1.9 percent compared to March 2024.

Starts of multi-units are down 3.5 percent in March to 384,000 but up 48.8 percent from a year ago. Multi-unit projects can be volatile. However, this March it is the 14.2 percent decline in single-family home starts to 940,000 that indicates that new home construction is weakening as builders anticipate higher mortgage rates and slower demand, as well as uncertainty about building costs for materials and labor.

Building permits issued in March are up 1.6 percent to 1.482 million units month-over-month but down 0.2 percent year-over-year. The level has not been much changed since December 2024. The level is above the consensus of 1.450 million in the Econoday survey. However, the increase is entirely due to permits for multi-unit projects.

Permits for single-family homes are down 2.0 percent in March from February to 978,000, and down 0.6 percent. This points to softer demand in the face of rising inventories of existing homes. Permits for multi-unit projects are up 9.3 percent in March from the prior month and up 0.6 percent from March 2024.

The call for March is a 1.42 million unit rate, down from 1.501 million in February when starts outperformed expectations. Permits are seen at a 1.45 million unit rate in March versus 1.456 million in February.

Housing starts measure the initial construction of single-family and multi-family units on a monthly basis. Data on permits provide indications of future construction. A housing start is registered at the start of construction of a new building intended primarily as a residential building. The start of construction is defined as the beginning of excavation of the foundation for the building.

Two words: Ripple Effect. This narrow piece of data has a powerful multiplier effect through the economy, and therefore across the markets and your investments. By tracking economic data such as housing starts, investors can gain specific investment ideas as well as broad guidance for managing a portfolio.

Home builders usually don't start a house unless they are fairly confident it will sell upon or before its completion. Changes in the rate of housing starts tell us a lot about demand for homes and the outlook for the construction industry. Furthermore, each time a new home is started, construction employment rises, and income will be pumped back into the economy. Once the home is sold, it generates revenues for the home builder and a myriad of consumption opportunities for the buyer. Refrigerators, washers and dryers, furniture, and landscaping are just a few things new home buyers might spend money on, so the economic"ripple effect" can be substantial especially when you think of it in terms of more than a hundred thousand new households around the country doing this every month.

Since the economic backdrop is the most pervasive influence on financial markets, housing starts have a direct bearing on stocks, bonds and commodities. In a more specific sense, trends in the housing starts data carry valuable clues for the stocks of home builders, mortgage lenders, and home furnishings companies. Commodity prices such as lumber are also very sensitive to housing industry trends.

Importance
The housing starts report is the most closely followed report on the housing sector. Housing starts reflect the commitment of builders to new construction activity. Purchases of household furnishings and appliances quickly follow.

Interpretation
The bond market will rally when housing starts decrease, but bond prices will fall when housing starts post healthy gains. A strong housing market is bullish for the stock market because the ripple effect of housing to consumer durable purchases spurs corporate profits. In turn, low interest rates encourage housing construction.

The level as well as changes in housing starts reveals residential construction trends. Housing starts are subject to substantial monthly volatility, especially during winter months. It takes several months to establish a trend. Thus, it is useful to look at a 5-month moving average (centered) of housing starts.

It is useful to examine the trends in construction activity for single homes and multi-family units separately because they can deviate significantly. Single-family home-building is larger and less volatile than multi-family construction. It is more sensitive to interest rate changes and less speculative in nature. The construction of multi-family units can be substantially influenced by changes in the tax code and speculative real estate investors.

Housing construction varies by region as well. The regions of the United States do not all follow exactly the same economic patterns because industry concentration varies in the four major regions of the country. The regional dispersion can mask underlying trends. The total level of housing construction as well as the regional distribution of housing construction is important.

Housing permits are released together with housing starts every month and are considered a leading indicator of starts. In reality, housing permits and starts typically move in tandem each month. However, there are some exceptions. For instance, if permits are issued late in the month, and weather does not permit immediate excavation, then permits might lead starts. For the most part, though, permits are not a good predictor of future housing starts. Incidentally, housing permits (but not starts) are one of the ten components of the index of leading indicators compiled by The Conference Board.