Privately-owned housing starts were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 890,000 in January, 8.5 percent below the revised December estimate, according to a joint report released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Housing and Urban Development. However, both building permits and housing completions were up in January. Privately-owned housing units authorized by building permits were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 925,000, 1.8 percent above the December rate, while private housing completions were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 724,000, 6.0 percent above the December estimate. All three indicators were up significantly compared to January 2012 figures.

Link: News Release