Economic Definition of housing starts. Defined.
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Term housing starts Definition: The number of residential buildings (single-family and multi-family) construction units begun during a given time period (usually one month) based on the number of building permits issued. Housing starts are sensitive to interest rate changes and reflect the household sectors willingness to invest in new construction. It is a key indicator of business-cycle activity. More specifically, it is one of the 12 leading economic indicators tracked by the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
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