| Economic Event | Housing Starts |
| Units | Thousands of Starts |
| Current Period | Dec 2009 |
| Release Date | Jan. 20. 10 |
| Reported | 557 |
| Consensus for Current Period | 569 |
| Number of Forecasts | 54 |
| Economic Surprise | -12 ( -2.11 % ) |
| Prior Period | Nov 2009 |
| Reported Value for Prior Period | 580 |
| Revised From | 574 |
| Next Release Date | Feb. 17. 10 |
| Next Release Time | 8:30 AM Eastern Time |
| Source | http://www.census.gov/const/newresconst.pdf |
| Note | |
| Description | Housing Starts represent the beginning of a construction of a house or apartment building. Since housing activity usually leads the business cycle this economic release can be useful in spotting cyclical turning points. Empirical work has shown that significant surprises in Housing Starts are correlated with stock price movements. |