US housing starts and building permits disappoint in August

US housing starts dropped more than expected last month, official figures revealed on Tuesday. According to the US Department of Commerce, housing starts declined 5.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 1.14 million units in August, following the preceding month's 1.21 million-unit rate and falling behind the 1.17 million-unit pace market forecast. Starts of single family houses declined 6.0% to a 722,000 unit rate in August, the lowest level since October of 2015, whereas housing starts for the volatile multi-family segment dropped 5.4% to a 420,000 unit pace. In the meantime, building permits plunged 0.4% in August to a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.14 million units as approvals in the volatile multi-family segment fell 7.2% to a 402,000 unit-pace, whereas permits for single–family homes jumped 3.7% to a 737,000 unit-rate last month. Market analysts expected permits for future construction to hit 1.17 million units in the reported month. In regional terms, single-family new house construction building permits fell in both the Northeast and South 13.8% and 13.1%, respectively, but increased in the West and Midwest. After the release, the US Dollar fell slightly, trading at 1.1182 against the Euro, 1.2967 against the British Pound and 101.83 against the Japanese Yen.