U.S. HOUSING STARTS ROSE 2.6 PCT IN FEBRUARY U.S. housing starts rose 2.6 pct in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,851,000 units, the Commerce Department said. In January, housing starts fell a revised 0.5 pct to 1,804,000 units. The department previously said they fell 0.1 pct. The rate at which permits were issued for future construction rose in February by 4.4 pct to a seasonally adjusted 1,764,000 units after falling 11.52 pct to 1,690,000 units in January. Permits for single-family houses fell in January by 6.6 pct to 1,091,000. The number of permits for multi-family houses fell in February by 11.7 pct to 529,000 units after falling in January by 19.3 pct, the department said. Housing starts in February included a seasonally adjusted 5.6 pct rise in single family units to 1,317,000 units and a 4.1 pct fall in multi-family homes to 534,000 units. The seasonally adjusted permits total in February for single family units was 1,235,000 and for multi-family units was 529,000 units.