By Commodity News Service Canada

WINNIPEG, December 16 – The following is a glance at the news moving markets globally.

– The number of US housing starts dropped more than expected in November, according to reports out of the country on Friday.

Ground-breaking fell 18.7 per cent from October’s nine-year high.

– Foreign acquisitions of Canadian securities amounted to C$15.8 billion in October, mainly Canadian corporate debt securities. At the same time, Canadian investors added C$2.1 billion of foreign securities to their holdings, led by acquisitions of US corporate instruments, Statistics Canada said in a report on Friday.

Securities data gives indications on foreign market sentiment toward Canada’s economy.