By Robert Hughes
Housing construction activity was mixed in May as starts fell by 0.9 percent while permits for future construction rose 0.3 percent. Total housing starts dropped to a 1.269 million annual rate from a 1.281 million pace in April. The dominant single-family segment, which accounts for about three-fourths of new home construction, fell 6.4 percent for the month to a rate of 820,000 units, which extends a modest downtrend (see top chart). Starts of multifamily structures with five or more units jumped 13.8 percent to 436,000, pushing activity above the robust 300,00 to