Completions of new homes in the nation...

Completions of new homes in the nation rose 2.1% in June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.49 million units after falling sharply by 12.6% in May, according to a Commerce Deparment report. Despite the slight increase in the number of houses completed in June, the completion rate was still 7.9% below the June, 1987, level of 1.61 million units, the department said. Completions of single-family homes fell 1.2% in June to a 1.08-million-unit annual rate after rising 3.2% in May, while completions of multifamily units rose 11.9% to a 405,000-unit rate after falling 40.3% in May.