WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. construction spending unexpectedly rebounded in August, likely lifted by home renovations as higher mortgage rates continued to weigh on single-family homebuilding.

The Commerce Department’s Census Bureau said on Monday that construction spending increased 0.2% after an upwardly revised 0.2% gain in July. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast construction spending would ease 0.1% after a previously reported 0.1% dip in July.

Spending decreased 1.6% on a year-over-year basis in August. The report, initially due on October 1, was delayed by a record 43-day shutdown of the federal government. It was the first of the delayed reports to be published, with September’s monthly employment report now scheduled for release on Thursday.

Spending on private constructi

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