Daily Roundup of Key US Economic Data for Feb. 18

02:43 PM EST, 02/18/2026 (MT Newswires) -- Housing starts rose by 6.2% to a 1.404 million annual rate in December, compared with expectations for a smaller increase, with single-family housing starts and multi-family starts both higher.

Building permits rose by 4.3% to a 1.448 million rate in December, lifted by multi-family permits offset by a decline in single-family permits. Homes permitted but not started decreased by 1.5%.

The number of homes under construction declined but home completions increased.

Durable goods new orders fell by 1.4% in December, while shipments rose by 1.0%. Excluding transportation, new orders were up 0.9%, and shipments rose by 0.7%.

The New York Federal Reserve's monthly business leaders index, a measure of services conditions, fell to minus 25.7 in February from minus 16.1 in January, indicating faster contraction. Other services data will be released over the coming weeks.

January industrial production rose by 0.7% after a 0.2% gain in December, with manufacturing production up 0.6% overall and up 0.5% excluding a 1.3% gain in motor vehicle and parts production.

Utilities output rose by 2.1% while mining production fell by 0.2%.

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported a 2.8% increase in mortgage applications in the week ended Feb. 13 after a 0.3% decline in the previous week. Refinancing activity improved on a four-week low in mortgage rates, while new home applications declined.

Redbook reported that US same-store retail sales were up 7.2% year-over-year in the week ended Feb. 14, faster than a 6.5% gain in the prior week due to a lift from Valentine's Day and President's Day sales.

The Q4 GDPnow estimate from the Atlanta Fed is for a 3.6% gain, revised down from a 3.7% gain in the previous estimate. The next update is expected on Thursday.

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