Completions of new homes in the nation...

Completions of new homes in the nation fell 5.2% in January to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.53 million units, the Commerce Department said. The January drop pushed housing completions to their lowest level since December, 1983, when they were at an annual rate of 1.51 million units, department officials said. Down most sharply were completions of multifamily units, which fell 12% to 446,000 units, while completions of single-family homes fell 2.1% in January to 1.08 million units, the department said.