Housing Starts Jump to 4-Year High

In another promising sign for the economy, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced Wednesday that housing starts had jumped to a seasonally adjusted 872,000 in September. That's an increase of nearly 35% year-over-year and up 15% over August's statistic. Bloomberg reports that this is the highest number of starts since July 2008 and well ahead of what the economists it polled ahead of time had expected.

While foreclosures have left many unsold homes on the market, record-low mortgage rates have ignited demand across the country. New building permits, an indicator of future construction, rose to 894,000 in September, blowing away August's 801,000 recorded new permits by 11.6%.

The South saw the largest amount of new home starts in the month, recording 451,000 units. Three of the four U.S. regions saw increased total housing starts for the month compared to August; only the Northeast witnessed a decline.

The article Housing Starts Jump to 4-Year High originally appeared on Fool.com.

Dan Carroll has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend The Home Depot. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Copyright © 1995 - 2012 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.