Forexpros – The number of building permits issued in the U.S. increased more-than-expected in February, rising to the highest level since October 2008, official data showed on Tuesday.
In a report, the U.S. Census Bureau said the number of building permits issued in February climbed 5.1% to a seasonally adjusted 0.72 million, above expectations for a modest 0.6% gain to 0.69 million.
The report also showed that U.S. housing starts dipped 1.1% in February to a seasonally adjusted 0.70 million from 0.71 million units in January, whose figure was revised up from a previously reported 0.70 million units.
Economists had forecast housing starts little changed at a 0.70 million-unit rate.
The report showed that permits to build single-family homes, which account for three-quarters of the housing market, jumped 4.9% to a 472,000-unit pace, the highest since April 2010.
Following the release of the data, the U.S. dollar held on to gains against the euro, with EUR/USD shedding 0.38% to trade at 1.3189.
Meanwhile, U.S. stock future indices remained lower after the release of the data. The Dow Jones Industrial Average futures pointed to a decline of 0.5%, S&P 500 futures shed 0.55%, while the Nasdaq 100 futures pointed to a loss of 0.5%.
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