Privately-owned housing starts in March 2024 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,321,000. This is 14.7 percent (+/- 9.9%) below the revised February 2024 estimate of 1,549,000.

U.S. total business end-of-month inventories for February 2024 were $2,567.5 billion, up 0.4 percent (+/- 0.1 percent) from last month. U.S. total business sales were $1,866.5 billion, up 1.6 percent (+/- 0.2 percent) from last month.

U.S. retail and food services sales for March 2024 were $709.6 billion, up 0.7 percent (+/-0.5 percent) from the previous month.

Total U.S. Business Applications were 435,629 in March 2024, virtually unchanged from February 2024.

February 2024 sales of merchant wholesalers were $673.7 billion, up 2.3 percent (+/- 0.4 percent) from last month. End-of-month inventories were $901.1 billion, up 0.5 percent (+/- 0.4 percent) from last month.

The nation's international trade deficit in goods and services increased to $68.9 billion in February from $67.6 billion in January (revised), as imports increased more than exports.

New orders for manufactured goods in February, up following two consecutive monthly decreases, increased $8.2 billion or 1.4 percent to $576.8 billion.

Total construction activity for February 2024 ($2,091.5 billion) was 0.3 percent (+/-0.8 percent)* below the revised January 2024 ($2,096.9 billion).

February end-of-month inventories were $901.1 billion, up 0.5 percent (+/- 0.4 percent) from last month.

The advance international trade deficit in goods increased to $91.8 billion in February from $90.5 billion in January as imports increased more than exports.

February 2024 end-of-month inventories were $808.8 billion, up 0.5 percent (+/- 0.2%) from last month.

New orders for manufactured durable goods in February, up following two consecutive monthly decreases, increased $3.7 billion or 1.4 percent to $277.9 billion.

Sales of new single-family houses in February 2024 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 662,000. This is 0.3 percent (+/- 16.2%)* below the revised January 2024 estimate of 664,000.

Manufacturing corporations' seasonally adjusted after-tax profits were $194.8 billion for the fourth quarter of 2023, down $30.2 (+/- 1.5) billion from third quarter of 2023.

Seasonally adjusted after-tax profits for retail corporations with assets of $50 million and over were $48.3 billion for the fourth quarter 2023 (the 3 months ending January 31, 2024), up $4.4 (+/- 2.6) billion from third quarter 2023 (the 3 months ending October 31, 2023).

U.S. selected services total revenue for the fourth quarter of 2023, adjusted for seasonal variation but not for price changes, was $5,398.9 billion, an increase of 1.9 percent (+/- 0.6 percent) from the third quarter of 2023 and up 6.6 percent (+/- 0.6 percent) from the fourth quarter of 2022.

The homeownership rate of 65.7 percent was not statistically different from the rate in the fourth quarter 2022 (65.9 percent). The homeownership rates, compared to the fourth quarter 2022, were lower in the Northeast and West, higher in the South, and not statistically different in the Midwest.

The rental vacancy rate of 6.6 percent was higher than the rate in the fourth quarter 2022 (5.8 percent). Compared to fourth quarter 2022, the rental vacancy rate was higher in the South and West, and the rates were not statistically different in the Northeast and Midwest.