Ground breaking jumped 18.6%, led by single-family houses
U.S. benchmark index has gained 309% since bottoming out in march 2009
European Central Bank joins global push to help economy
The reading beat a consensus forecast
Growth forecasted to be slightly below 3%
But the Berkshire Hathaway CEO praised his potential successors after releasing his annual letter to shareholders
Year-over-year consumer prices rose only 1.6% in January
Fourth-quarter growth could be revised down from an already paltry 0.2%
Sixteen per cent of businesses have relocation plans and a further 13% are “actively considering” a move
Gain illustrates job market’s durability during decade-long expansion