Housing Starts Plunge Most In 3 Years; Permits Tumble - Miss By Most In 7 Months

Housing Starts Plunge Most In 3 Years; Permits Tumble - Miss By Most In 7 Months | Zero Hedge:

It seems once again that 'economists' and 'analysts' misunderstood the weather in winter is cold. 

Housing Starts dropped a stunning 16% MoM (from an upwardly revised December data) for the biggest miss since June 2013 (and 8 of last 10 months missed expectations). 

This is the biggest MoM drop in 3 years. 

Building Permits - more problematic for the weather blamers - also plunged (by 5.4%) missing expectations by the most since June. 

However, what is the biggest slap in the face for the 'weather-blamers' is the collapse in Permits for the West (-26%) while most other regions improved.