Recent reports from the housing sector point to a new round of weakness in this critical slice of the US economy, potentially raising a warning flag for the year ahead. The jury's still out, in part because a critical update has been delayed, due to the partial government shutdown that ended late last month. The Census Bureau has rescheduled the December figures on residential housing construction for next week (Feb. 26). Using a variety of sources to forecast, the update suggests the numbers will bring a mixed bag of news.
Economists are looking for housing