U.S. home builders grew more confident about their business in early September, with builder sentiment rising for the first time in seven months, a national industry trade group reported Tuesday.
The builders’ sentiment index rose to 18 in September, from a record low 16 in August, the National Association of Home Builders said. Still, the index [...]

In the current housing slump, construction has slowed significantly, and homebuilder confidence remains low.
The number of building permits for units of privately-owned housing built by a corporate developer fell nearly 18 percent in July from the month before, according to new residential construction data released yesterday by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. [...]