Amhersy Pierpont economist Stephen....>

US DATA REACT: Amhersy Pierpont economist Stephen Stanley said US housing starts

"were weaker than expected in September, falling to 1.127 million units

annualized, the lowest reading in a year. It is pretty clear that hurricanes

played a significant role, but it is impossible to tease out exactly how much

the storms depressed activity. We are just going to have to wait a few months

and see how the numbers play out."

- He adds, "What are the signs that the storms impacted the data? First and

foremost, even apart from starts, the number of homes completed remained about

100K below the pre-August level, confirmation that many homes that were in the

construction pipeline endured delays and/or extensive damage."