Combined single- and multifamily housing starts rose in three out of four regions this January. The South and West each registered a third consecutive month of improvement, with 1 percent and 8.9 percent gains, respectively, and the Northeast also posted a 10 percent gain. The Midwest saw a 3.2 percent decline in overall housing starts.

Conversely, permit issuance declined in three out of four regions this January. The West was the only region to post a gain, of 8.5 percent, while declines of 17.8 percent, 20.2 percent and 1.3 percent were registered in the Northeast, Midwest and South, respectively.