Housing Starts tracks how many new single-family homes or buildings were constructed throughout the month.
For the survey, each house and every single apartment are counted as one housing start.
This indicator isn’t a huge market mover, but it has been reported by U.S. Census that the housing industry represents over 25% of investment dollars and a 5% value of the overall economy.
Housing starts are considered to be a leading indicator, meaning it detects trends in the economy looking forward.
Declining housing starts show a slowing economy, while increases in housing activity can pull an economy out of a downturn.