Energy

Housing Starts Plummet Amid Low Builder Confidence 

Housing starts dropped 16.8 percent from the previous month to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 466,000 in January, according to data published Wednesday by the U.S. Commerce Department. Starts are down 56.2 percent for the year since January 2008. Building permits fell 4.8 percent for the month to a seasonally-adjusted 521,000 rate, according to the data.