New residential construction rebounded in February after starting off the year on a slow note. February new housing starts came in at a 1.501 million unit rate, up 11.2% from January, but still down 2.9% compared to the 1.546 million unit rate in February 2024.
Shipments of HVAC equipment started the year on a stronger note after sliding the previous two months. HVAC equipment shipments totaled 1.669 million units, up 8.6% from December, but were down 0.6% from the 1.678 million unit total in January 2024.
New orders for manufactured durable goods rebounded in January after sliding the previous two months, coming in at a $286.0 billion rate. This is up $8.7 billion or 3.1% after sliding 1.8% in December.
Business activity in the New York region increased in February after declining to start the year. The February Empire Manufacturing Index came in at 5.7, up from -12.6 in January and the highest reading since November.
