Thomson Reuters
Scaffolding is seen at the construction site of a new home in Carlsbad
Economists forecast that housing starts increased 1.4% at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.264 million, according to Bloomberg. They estimate that building permits dropped 1.9% at a rate of 1.268 million.
Housing-market data like these tend to be volatile and subject to revisions on a month-to-month basis.
On Wednesday, the National Association of Homebuilders said ikn a monthly report that its members' confidence in the housing market was the strongest in 12 years.
"Builders are buoyed by President Trump's actions on regulatory reform, particularly his recent executive order to rescind or revise the waters of the U.S. rule that impacts permitting," said NAHB Chairman Granger MacDonald.