U.S. housing starts were flat in June as a drop in groundbreaking on single-family homes was offset by higher multi-family housing construction, a Commerce Department report showed on Tuesday.
June housing starts came in at a 2.004 million unit annual rate, unchanged from May, which saw starts revised down from an originally reported 2.009 million unit pace.
A separate report showed retail sales at U.S. chain stores rose in the latest week, with sales of summer-related goods continuing to underpin strength. U.S. chain store retail sales increased 0.3 percent in the week ended July 16, after a 0.1 percent rise the previous week, the International Council of Shopping Centers and UBS said in a joint report.
