| Updated:
Housing starts dip in January
US NEW housing starts crashed in January, but kept well above their level during January last year.
Privately-owned housing starts sunk 8.5 per cent between December and the first month of 2013, bringing them from 973,000 in December to 890,000 – but they were still 23.6 per cent above January 2012’s 720,000 starts, according to US Census Bureau data. Data for completed projects and issued building permits showed them both racing up, rising by over a third in just a year.