U.S. housing starts down as permits rise

Housing starts in the U.S. declined by 1.8 percent to 1.289 million units in November, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. Building permits for the month rose by 6.1 percent. In the single-family residential sector, starts were up 6.4 percent to $1.01 million, while permits edged up 0.1 percent to 972,000.