Builders Probably Began Work on Fewer U.S. Houses in August

Builders probably began work on fewer homes in August, highlighting an industry that’s languishing more than two years into the U.S. economic recovery, economists said before a report today.

Housing starts fell 2.3 percent to a three-month low 590,000 annual rate, according to the median estimate of 78 economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. Building permits, a proxy for future construction, may have also dropped for a second month.