Housing freeze: High costs leave some buyers and current owners in the lurch

Fresh data released this week underscored just how stuck the U.S. housing market is. On Monday, a closely watched sentiment index of the companies that build U.S. houses returned to its 2½-year low. A day later, the Commerce Department reported that the number of new housing starts and permits for single-family homes had edged higher in July but were still near post-pandemic lows. Housing prices remain high, as do mortgage interest rates. Reasons for optimism are scarce.