Mumbai, Jan. 31 -- Japan's housing starts dropped 2.5% year-over-year in December, steeper than the 1.8% decline in November but better than the expected 3.9% fall. This marked the eighth straight month of contraction, led by a sharp drop in built-for-sale dwellings, which fell 14.7% compared to a 7.3% decline in the previous month. Growth in owner-occupied housing slowed to 4.6% from 11.1%, while rentals rebounded with a 2.1% rise after a 5.5% drop. Issued housing surged 44.8% after a steep fall of 31.9%, prefabricated homes rose 2.1% after dropping 8%, and two-by-four units edged up 0.1% after a 1.03% decline.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Capital Market....