Economy/Ecommerce

The Census Bureau reported on Wednesday that housing starts took a dip in January.

For the homebuilding industry, the last year or so has been one of increasing optimism, buoyed by increasing sales.

Recent economic news from Europe has been in part discouraging, but (remarkably) there have been some relatively optimistic stories lately as well.

The preliminary Reuters/University of Michigan consumer sentiment index for February, which was released on Friday, increased to 76.3 from the January level of 73.8.

RealtyTrac reported on Thursday that U.S. foreclosure filings—meaning all default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions—were reported on a bit more than 150,800 residential properties in January.

U.S. retail sales grew at their slowest rate in three months, the Census Bureau reported.

As expected, much of President Obama’s State of the Union address on Tuesday focused on the economy, and in particular what he wants to do about the nervous economic state of the American middle class.

The National Association of Realtors reported on Monday that existing single-family home prices rose in 133 out of 152 U.S. metropolitan statistical areas, based on closings in the fourth quarter compared with same quarter in 2011, while 19 areas had price declines.

The U.S. Department of Commerce reported on Friday that the U.S. trade deficit dropped from $48.6 billion in November to $38.5 billion, both as the result of rising exports and dropping imports.