Free Republic

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. home construction starts fell in September to their lowest level in more than 14 years, while consumer prices rose at the sharpest rate in four months, separate reports showed on Wednesday. Weak housing data boosted U.S. government bond prices and the U.S. dollar slipped versus euro and yen as some investors saw the data as a sign of continuing headwinds for the economy. U.S. stocks were still expected to open higher with investors more focused on healthy corporate profit reports. "We knew housing was weak, but these numbers show another pretty big drop, so the sector...

U.S. home starts hit 17-year high in July Tuesday August 19, 5:01 pm ET By Eric Burroughs (Updates with market close)NEW YORK, Aug 19 (Reuters) - U.S. home builders cranked up new construction to a 17-year high in July as quickly rising mortgage rates prompted consumers to buy sooner rather than later, a report showed on Tuesday, the latest sign of the economy's brightening outlook. In a separate report, the University of Michigan's survey showed consumer sentiment dipped during the first half of August as Americans remain worried about job security. Sentiment has essentially remained flat for three months after...