The rate of new housing starts fell in February by 17 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 897,000 units, the lowest since January 2014, the US Commerce Department said. <January's figure was revised upward to a seasonally adjusted pace of 1.08 million units from the previous reading of 1.07 million units, and February's decline pushed housing starts below the 1 million-unit mark for the first time since last August. Analysts had predicted in a Reuters poll that the rate would reach 1.05 million units in February.

. <Large parts of the country experienced snowfall and extreme cold in the second half of February. The severe weather conditions that affected retail sales in February are likely to be a pressure factor on growth in the first quarter of the year.