US housing starts slowed in July, falling 12.4% to a 1.24mln annualized pace versus a 1.35 mln survey expectation. Single-family starts dropped 9.9% to 808k, the lowest since November 2022. Multifamily starts fell nearly 17% after a prior surge. The

2026-08-18

US housing starts slowed in July, falling 12.4% to a 1.24mln annualized pace versus a 1.35 mln survey expectation. Single-family starts dropped 9.9% to 808k, the lowest since November 2022. Multifamily starts fell nearly 17% after a prior surge. The pullback highlights difficulty for the US housing market to regain momentum amid rising mortgage rates since the Iran war outbreak and elevated home prices. Residential investment made a small positive contribution to Q2 GDP — the first in 2024 — but gains were modest. Outlook for starts remains unclear.