U.S. housebuilding sentiment falls to lowest since December as high mortgage rates continue to bite

NEW YORK, July 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. housing market sentiment in July declined to the lowest level since last December, driven by high mortgage rates and increasing borrowing costs, according to data released on Tuesday.

The Housing Market Index, which measures builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes, fell one point to 42 this month from June, the National Association of Home Builders