 Single-family starts are actually up 16.1%, according to the latest government figures. High mortgage rates continue to weigh heavy on America's homebuilders. There was another drop this month in the National Association of Homebuilders' Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. The index fell a point to 42, the lowest it's been since last December. The index has to be at least 50 for homebuilders' sentiment to be considered positive. Jim Tobin is CEO of the National Association of Homebuilders.