Business news with words adjusted+commerce+department. 18 news.

STOCKS finished an erratic week narrowly mixed yesterday after a government report of a steep decline in new home sales stirred concerns that weakness in housing will continue to dog the economy. The Commerce Department report that new home sales fell 9 percent from October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 647,000 triggered renewed nervousness that consumers could become uneasy and tamp down their spending. Stocks, which fell more than 1 percent Thursday following unwelcome economic readings and the assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto, fluctuated through the day yesterday. The Chicago purchasing managers' index had for a time offered some support to investor sentiment yesterday after it showed a stronger-than-expected increase for December manufacturing activity in the Midwest. But Wall Street appeared unable to hold onto its enthusiasm for too long. Investors are eager for any economic data that can help illuminate whether weakness in the

Sales of single-family homes fell 9 percent last month, the Commerce Department said, for a seasonally adjusted annual rate that is the slowest pace since April 1995.

The Commerce Department reported that new-home sales tumbled by 9 percent in November from October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 647,000. That was the worst showing since April 1995, when the pace of sales was 621,000.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Sales of new U.S. homes fell by a more-than-expected 9% in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 647,000, the Commerce Department reported Friday. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch were expecting new home sales to drop to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 710,000 in November. Meanwhile, October's sales rate was revised downward, to rise by 711,000, or 1.7%. They were previously estimated to have risen to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 728,000. In the past year, sales of new U.S. homes are down 34.4% nationwide.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - New construction of single-family homes slowed to the weakest pace in 16 years in November as U.S. home builders scrambled to reduce their inventories of unsold homes, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Starts of single-family homes fell 5.4% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 829,000, the lowest since April 1991. Total starts, including the 0.6% rise for multifamily units, fell 3.7% to an annual rate of 1.19 million, the government said. Authorized building permits fell 1.5% in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.15 million, the lowest in 14 years. Single-family permits fell 5.6% to 764,000, the lowest in 16 years.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Builders slashed prices at the fastest pace in 26 years in October, boosting sales of new homes from a much lower level of sales in September than was originally reported, according to Commerce Department data released Thursday. Sales rose 1.7% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 728,000 in October from a downwardly revised 716,000 in September, which was a 11-year low. September's sales pace was originally reported as 770,000. August's sales were also revised sharply lower to 717,000 from 735,000 estimated a month ago, and 795,000 estimated in the first release. Sales are down 23.5% in the past year. The October sales pace was much weaker than the 740,000 expected by economists surveyed by MarketWatch.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - New construction of U.S. houses rose in October as the multifamily sector rebounded, the Commerce Department estimated Tuesday. Starts rose 3.0% in October to a seasonally adjusted 1.23 million annualized units stronger than the 1.17 million pace expected by economists surveyed by MarketWatch. Starts of large apartment units rose 44.4% in October to 345,000, reversing a 35.9% decline in September. Starts of new single-family homes fell by 7.3% to 884,000. This is the seventh straight monthly decline. Building permits, a leading indicator of housing construction, fell 6.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.18 million. This is the lowest level of permits since July 1993.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - A surge in exports in September helped push the U.S. trade deficit down to $56.5 billion, the lowest in more than two years, the Commerce Department reported Friday. U.S. exports rose 1.1% to a record $140.1 billion on record shipments of capital goods, industrial materials and foods. Boosted by record imports of capital goods and an increase in the value of petroleum shipments, imports into the United States increased 0.6% to $196.6 billion, the second highest ever. Compared with a year ago, the trade deficit has fallen by about 14%, with exports up 14% and imports rising 4.9%. The figures are not adjusted for price changes. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch expected the trade deficit to widen to $59.3 billion.

The U.S. Commerce Department said sales last month rose by 4.8 per cent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 770,000 houses. Economists had been expecting a decline of 2.5 per cent from August.

WASHINGTON Sales of new homes posted an unexpected gain in September although the improvement came after sales had fallen to the slowest pace in more than a decade. The Commerce Department reported Thursday that sales of new homes rose by 4.8 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 770,000 units. That level of activity was still 23.3 percent below a year ago, indicating that housing remains in a steep downturn. Analysts had been expecting sales would fall by 2.5 percent last month from an August sales pace that had originally been reported as 795,000 hom

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Sales of new homes rebounded in September from summer sales levels that were much weaker than previously reported, the Commerce Department reported Thursday. Sales increased 4.8% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 770,000 from a revised 735,000 in August. Previously, August's sales had been reported at a 795,000 pace. September's sales were slightly higher than the 758,000 pace expected by economists. The three previous months were revised sharply lower, which means the housing market was much weaker in the middle of the year than previous believed. Sales of new homes are down 23.3% in the past year.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - New construction of U.S. houses retreated for the fourth straight month in September, the Commerce Department estimated Wednesday. Starts fell 10.2% in September to a seasonally adjusted 1.19 million annualized units weaker than the 1.28 million pace expected by economists surveyed by MarketWatch. This is the lowest level of starts since March 1993. Starts of new single-family homes fell by 1.7% to 963,000 in September, while starts of large apartment units fell 34.3% to 228,000. Building permits, a leading indicator of housing construction, fell 7.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.23 million. This is the lowest level of permits since July 1993.

CONSUMER spending in the US rose more than forecast in August, a sign the fallout from a weaker job market and collapse in subprime lending has yet to reach the biggest part of the economy. The 0.6-percent rise in spending was the biggest in four months and followed a 0.4-percent increase in July, the Commerce Department said yesterday in Washington. The Federal Reserve's preferred measure of inflation cooled. Lower gasoline prices, auto-dealer discounts and a jump in air-conditioning use during last month's hot spell lifted demand, economists said. Smaller price increases give Fed policy makers room to reduce interest rates again should job losses and declines in home values lead to a deeper slowdown. "The third quarter should look good for consumer spending but that may be the high-water mark," Jonathan Basile, an economist at Credit Suisse Holdings in New York, said before the report. "We're seeing job growth moderate and housing becoming a bigger drag and that will continue to pour downward pressure on spending." US Treasury securities held earlier gains following the report. The yield on the benchmark 10-year note was at 4.54 percent at 8:35am in New York, from 4.57 percent late yesterday. Stock index futures trimmed losses. Incomes increased 0.3 percent in August after 0.5 percent, yesterday's report also showed. Income was forecast to rise 0.4 percent, according to the Bloomberg News survey median. Economists forecast spending, which makes up more than two-thirds of the economy, would rise 0.4 percent for a second month, according to the median of 76 estimates in the Bloomberg survey. The report's price gauge tied to spending patterns and excluding food and energy costs, the Fed's preferred measure, increased 0.1 percent in August for a sixth consecutive month. It was up 1.8 percent from August 2006, the smallest gain since February 2004. Some Fed policy makers, including Ben S. Bernanke before becoming chairman, have said they would prefer core inflation within a one percent to two percent range. Adjusted for inflation, spending also rose 0.6 percent in August, the most since October, after a 0.3-percent gain the prior month, the report showed.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Spending on nonresidential construction projects jumped 2.3% in August, offsetting the 18th consecutive decline in spending on housing, the Commerce Department said Friday. Total seasonally adjusted outlays on construction projects rose 0.2% in August. Construction spending fell a revised 0.5% in July. Total outlays are down 1.7% compared with a year ago, due to the collapse of home building. Spending on private residential projects fell 1.5% in August, the 18th straight decline. Housing outlays are down 16.5% from a year earlier. Spending on private nonresidential construction projects rose 2.3% in August, the biggest gain since February. Nonresidential outlays are up 15.2% in the past year.

WASHINGTON - New-home sales tumbled in August to the lowest level in seven years, a stark sign that the credit crunch is aggravating an already painful housing slump. Sales of new homes dropped 8.3 percent in August from July, the Commerce Department reported Thursday, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 795,000. That was the lowest level since June 2000. "This is just hideous," said Ian Shepherdson, chief economist at High Frequency Economics, a private consulting firm. The home sales report came on the same day that Commerce reported a relatively brisk economic growth rate in revised

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Housing starts and permits fell once again in August in another sign of the weak U.S. housing market, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. Starts of new homes fell by 2.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.331 million, which was the lowest since June 1995. Authorized building permits fell by 5.9% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.307 million, also the lowest since June 1995. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch had expected both housing starts and building permits to fall to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.35 million in August. In the past year, housing starts are down 19.1% while permits have fallen 24.5%.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The value of U.S. exports of goods and services to the rest of the world increased 2.7% in July, the fastest seasonally adjusted growth in more than three years, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. With imports growing 1.8%, the deficit between imports and exports narrowed by 0.3% to $59.2 billion in July from an upwardly revised $59.4 billion in June, close to expectations. Both exports and imports were at record levels in July, reflecting strong global demand and higher prices. U.S. producers exported record values of capital goods, consumer goods, autos, and foods. U.S. consumers imported record values of foods and feeds. The trade gap with China was the second highest ever.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - The value of U.S. exports of goods and services to the rest of the world increased 2.7% in July, the fastest seasonally adjusted growth in more than three years, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday.