U.S. housing starts decline again in August

WASHINGTON — Housing starts in the U.S. fell for the second consecutive month in August, dropping by 0.8% compared to July for a rate of 1.18 million. At the same time, the U.S. Commerce Department announced that the final rate for July came to 1.19 million, better than the 1.16 million initially reported. The department said that according to their data, the impact of Hurricane Harvey on permits was limited, and starts were “not significantly lower” in the affected regions.