Privately‐owned housing starts in November were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,256,000, the Census Bureau reported. This is 3.2% above the revised October estimate of 1,217,000, but is 3.6% below the November 2017 rate of 1,303,000. Single‐family housing starts in November were at a rate of 824,000; this is 4.6% below the revised October figure of 864,000. The November rate for units in buildings with five units or more was 417,000.

Tuesday, the Dow increased 82.66 points (0.35%) to 23,675.64, the NASDAQ closed 30.18 points (0.45%) higher at 6,783.91, and the S&P 500 was virtually unchanged at 2,546.16. The Russell 2000 was down less than one point (0.07%) at 1,377.18, and the Wilshire 5000 was down 1.90 points (0.01%) at 26,158.25.

The price of the 10-year Treasury note increased 11/32, bringing its yield down to 2.819%. The price of the 30-year Treasury bond climbed 25/32, decreasing its yield to 3.075%.

ON THIS DATE: In 1732, Benjamin Franklin began publishing “Poor Richard’s Almanac.” In 1777, General George Washington led his army of about 11,000 men to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, to camp for the winter. In 1842, Hawaii’s independence was recognized by the U.S. In 1843, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” was first published in England. In 1903, the Williamsburg Bridge opened in New York City. It opened as the largest suspension bridge on Earth and remained the largest until 1924. It was also the first major suspension bridge to use steel towers to support the main cable. In 1917, the first games of the new National Hockey League (NHL) were played. Five teams made up the league: Toronto Arenas, Ottawa Senators, Quebec Bulldogs, the Montreal Canadiens and the Montreal Wanderers. In 1972, Apollo 17 splashed down in the Pacific, ending the Apollo program of manned lunar landings. In 1985, ABC Sports announced that it was severing ties with Howard Cosell and released him from all TV commitments. Cosell continued on ABC Radio for another five years. In 1989, U.S. troops invaded Panama to overthrow the regime of General Noriega. In 1990, Bo Jackson (Los Angeles Raiders) became the first athlete to be chosen for All Star Games in two sports. In 1998, President Bill Clinton was impeached on two charges of perjury and obstruction of justice by the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2008, President George W. Bush signed a $17.4 billion rescue package of loans for ailing auto makers General Motors and Chrysler.

WEDNESDAY WISDOM: “More business is lost every year through neglect than through any other cause.”—Rose Kennedy