- Tariff and immigration policy anxiety is settling in for homebuilders, and it’s starting to reveal itself in the data. Building permits, housing starts, and housing completions all fell in February compared to a year ago. Despite some monthly rebounds from a particularly weak January, builders are losing confidence—and buyers might have to pay the price.
Homebuilders are anxious about tariffs, and it’s starting to show in construction data. Building permits, housing starts, and housing completions all fell in February compared to a year ago, according to government data released Tuesday. Any drop-off in housing development is distressing because the country is short almost four million homes.
