New housing approvals show a gradually rising trend for the eight months to November 2011, Statistics New Zealand said today. However, numbers remain close to the recent historically low levels. "Although housing trend numbers continue to rise, seasonally adjusted figures are still volatile," industry and labour statistics manager Louise Holmes-Oliver said. "Figures dipped in November, the third change in direction in as many months." The unadjusted number of new houses approved in November 2011 is down compared with November 2010. The decrease occurred because apartment numbers spiked in November 2010 and fell back ... (full story)