Assignment #2

Housing Starts Statistics
http://www.census.gov/const/www/newresconstindex.html

1. Housing starts are seen as a broad economic indicator, and almost anyone would be interested in the statistics. More housing starts show strength in the economy, and vice versa. Some groups who are directly affected by housing starts include: construction workers, stock traders in the home-building sector, and financial institutions that grant loans for these projects. Additionally, local economies benefit from housing starts as workers and homeowners will spend money during the project.
2. Statistics are collected jointly by the US Census Bureau and the US Dept of Housing and Urban Development. Results are estimated from sample surveys and are published monthly.
3. Housing starts are measured units of "new privately-owned housing units authorized in permit-issuing places." The most recent statistics are from November 2010: 530,000 new units. This is down 4% (+/- 2.9%) from October 2010, and down 14.7% (+/- 1.7%) from November 2009.