REAL ESTATE

Housing Completions Fall 7%: Pulled down by a sharp drop in completions of single-family units, the April decline to an annual completion rate of 1.39-million single-family homes and apartments followed a revised 10.5% rise in March and a 9.3% drop in February, the Commerce Department said. April completions were also down 1.8% from the year-ago level. Previously, the department reported completions rose 9.8% in March and fell 9.1% in February. Housing completions are seen as a less-significant indicator of economic activity than are construction starts or housing sales. Single-family housing completions fell 10.6% in April to an annual rate of 1.09 million.