US construction sector gains slightly

A newly constructed home is sold in Springfield, Illinois, the United States. US builders broke ground on more single-family homes and apartments in June, helping the battered construction industry gain a little life after a dismal spring. The US Commerce Department yesterday said builders began work on a seasonally adjusted 629,000 homes last month, a 14.6 percent increase from May. Still, that's roughly half the 1.2 million homes per year that economists say must be built to sustain a healthy housing market.

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