NAHB - "Housing Starts Rise, But Permits Fall Again in September" (10-18-06)

"Nationwide housing starts in September regained the ground they lost in a steep decline the previous month, but issuance of building permits – a key indicator of future building activity – continued on a downward trend, according to numbers released by the U.S. Census Department today."

"September housing starts rose 5.9 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.77 million units, in close alignment with July’s 1.76 million-unit rate and the third quarter’s average of 1.74 million units. Single-family starts were up 4.3 percent to a rate of 1.43 million units, while multifamily starts were up 12.7 percent to a rate of 346,000 units."