Some things just cannot be wished away. Like tattoos and bitter family feuds, the US housing market is still there, stubbornly refusing to improve. The Commerce Department yesterday released figures on the state of US residential construction. Based on survey data, new housing starts in April appear to have dropped to an annual rate of 458,000 – the lowest level since records began in 1959. Construction activity is now four-fifths below the peak of the building frenzy in early 2006. The trend has defeated every previous effort to call a bottom in the market.
有些東西不是憑主觀願望就能擺脫的。就像紋身和嚴酷的家族鬥爭一樣，美國房地產市場巋然不動，固執地拒絕好轉。美國商務部(Commerce Department)昨日發佈了有關美國住宅建設狀況的數據。調查數據顯示，4月份摺合成年率的新屋開工數已降至45.8萬套——1959年有記錄以來的最低水準。建築活動如今比2006年初建築熱潮時期的峯值水準減少了五分之四。之前所有希望宣佈樓市已經見底的努力都遭到挫敗。