ECONOMY

U.S. Housing Completions Drop: The number of homes completed in December declined 1.6% from the month before, though construction activity in 1994 was the strongest in six years. Housing completions, which lag starts of new construction by six months, fell to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.350 million, the Commerce Department said. It was the second decline in three months. In November, completions rose a revised 0.6%, previously reported as a 1.3% decline. Compared to a year earlier, completions increased 4.7% during December. The number of housing units under construction increased 1.5% in December.