While housing starts have increased, the rate of growth has slowed.

But housing starts are also an indicator of the economy's future course.

Compared with January 2005, housing starts were up 4 percent, the government reported.

Housing starts were also up in June - but by a very small percentage.

Housing starts were lower everywhere except in the West, where they rose 8.2 percent.

In addition to the consumer price report, the Government said housing starts fell by 5 percent last month.

In December, housing starts had slipped 8.1 percent from a year earlier.

In America, slow population growth means that housing starts have been falling for years.

Housing starts fell slightly during March, for example, but still remained strong.

The previous year, the Dow was down 30.4 percent and housing starts were less than half the level they had been two years earlier.

But housing starts fell sharply last month, according to a separate report today.

In the last four months, however, housing starts have been declining steadily.

Yet housing starts are still low and have not invigorated the economy.

Multifamily housing starts were up for both the month and the year.

"Housing starts were up strongly in August to their highest level since 1990."

In the fall of 1983, as the economy emerged from recession, housing starts were 66 percent above where they had been a year earlier.

And so declining housing starts do mean fewer jobs in home construction.

Although housing starts fell last month, they continued at a brisk clip.

With the increase, housing starts are up just under 16 percent since bottoming in January.

Thus far, they seem to be cooperating: housing starts fell sharply in January.

Housing starts jumped up in November, and the number of new building permits is also rising.

In March, housing starts were down 4.8 percent compared with February.

Before adjusting for seasonal factors, housing starts were up 11.3 percent from December.

Housing starts have slipped to their lowest level since the recession of nearly a decade ago.

Besides, housing starts have been outpacing family formation for several years.