Core Insights - The new housing starts in the U.S. rose to a five-month high in December, with builders accelerating construction due to lower borrowing costs [1][2] - December's new housing starts increased by 6.2%, translating to an annualized rate of 1.4 million units, surpassing all economists' forecasts surveyed by Bloomberg [1] - The growth was broad-based, with both single-family homes and apartment projects seeing an increase in starts towards the end of the year [1] Construction Permits - Government data indicated a 4.3% increase in building permits in December, with an annualized rate of 1.45 million, marking the highest level since March [2] - However, there was a slight decline in single-family home building permits [2]