The value of building permits taken out jumped a surprising 4.3% in June, rising to $4.3 billion, Statistics Canada reported Tuesday. This is only the third monthly increase so far this year.

Actual construction intentions – whether builders actually follow through on using the permits to build – have been volatile from one month to the next, said StatsCan.

Some economists are speculating that this reflects a drive by Canadian developers and private home-builders to take advantage of low interest rates before they rise again. “This signals strong activity on construction sites for some time to come,” StatsCan said.

Normally monthly building permit values don’t move the markets, but this jump may show up in the numbers. The next piece of economic data to effect the markets will be the Chicago Institute of Supply Management’s non-manufacturing index.

It was sluggish start for equities markets Tuesday ahead of a reporton the U.S. services sector.

The Institute for Supply Management’s survey of business conditions in the U.S. services sector is due to be released at 10:00 ET. The ISM non-manufacturing index for July is forecast to show a drop to 58.0 from 60.6 in June — but still show the sector expanding.

The blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average eased 22 points to 9,162 at the open. The broader Standard & Poor’s 500 Index shed 2 points to 979. The Nasdaq composite index slipped 7 points, or 0.45 percent, to 1,707.

In Toronto, the S&P/TSX composite index opened slightly higher on Tuesday after a long weekend.

Just after the open, the TSX benchmark was up 6.14 points to 7,223.72.

On Monday, blue-chip stocks recovered from a triple-digit intraday decline to post a modest gain. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 32.07 points to 9186.04. But the tech-heavy Nasdaq composite index, slipped or 1.56 points to 1714.06.

In Asia, Tokyo’s Nikkei fell 70.21 points during Tuesday trading, or 0.74%, to 9,382.58. The index slid 158.88 points, or 1.65%, on Monday. In Hong Kong, the main Hang Seng Index slipped 5.76 points, or 0.06%, to 10,177.38. On Monday, the index lost 65.46 points, or 0.64%.

At midday in London, the FTSE index is up 0.28%. Frankfurt’s DAX is up 0.16%. Paris’s CAC 40 gained 0.78%.