Single-family housing starts rose to 861,000 in March, up 2.7% from an upwardly revised February pace of 838,000, according to U.S. government data. The improvement came as mortgage rates 
slipped from their October-November 2022 highs.
“Tighter credit conditions would result in homebuilders having a harder time financing new projects, which would weigh on future construction activity," Fannie Mae economist Doug Duncan said in a statement, referring to the fallout from the Silicon Valley Bank collapse.