According to data released Wednesday by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, construction activity was mixed in September. Private housing starts surged 15 percent from August to 658,000 units, and increased 10.2 percent from the September 2010 rate of 597,000.
Housing completions rose in September as well, increasing 2.1 percent from August to 647,000 units in September, and also 2.1 percent higher than completions in September 2010.
On the other hand, building permits, an indication of future construction activity, slipped 5 percent to 625,000 in September but were still 5.7 percent above the September 2010 level.