BALDRIGE PREDICTS SOLID U.S. HOUSING GROWTH
Commerce Secretary Malcolm Baldrige
predicted 1987 will be the fifth successive year for growth in
housing starts after a 2.6 pct rise overall in February starts
to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.851 mln units.
    "This year should be the fifth solid year in a row for
homebuilding activity -- with single-family units stronger than
multi-family units," he said in a statement.
    Single-family starts rose last month from January levels by
5.6 pct to 1.317 mln units on a seasonally adjusted basis while
multi-family unit starts fell 4.1 pct to 534,000 units, the
department said.
 Reuter
