Housing starts, permits fall - Washington Business Journal:

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The Commerce Department says housing starts fell to an annual rateof 458,0090 led by a 46 percent decline in constructiojn of apartments and condos. Building permit fell 3.3 percent to 494,000. The Commercd Department also revised lower housing starts data for The slowdown in construction follows a report Monday from the Nationao Association of Home Builders that showexd confidence among homebuildersis rising.
Its confidencer index, though still indicating the majority of those askesd see conditionsas poor, rose for the secondd straight month this It was the highest levell of confidence among homebuilders in eight Tighter lending standards continue to strain housing sales, and foreclosures are weighing on housinfg values. But by some measures, home sales are rising. A gaugre that measures pending sales of existing homesrose 3.2 percent in and posted its first consecutive gain in pending sales in almost a year.