Building permits, a sign of future construction, fell to an annual pace of 1.307 million in August, the lowest since 1995, according to Commerce Department figures.
Two carloads of settlers wanted to drive through, and the Palestinians showed no signs of permitting a trouble-free passage.
Applications for new building permits, a sign of future activity, also fell.
Applications for building permits, a sign of future construction, fell 2.7 percent to 866,000, after jumping 12 percent in September to a four-year high.
Applications for building permits, a sign of future construction, jumped nearly 12 percent to an annual rate of 894,000, also the highest since July 2008.
Chris Christie, the governor, is likely to sign a revised bill permitting a variety of online gambling as soon as next week.
At the same time, building permits fell, a sign of possible cooling ahead.
It has been replaced by a blue wooden barrier festooned with demolition permits and a sign hawking "CHEAP DIVORCE".
There's another complicating factor for these particular merchants: their block lies within the Jackson Heights Historic District, and so the Landmarks Preservation Commission must approve any designs before a permit for a sign is even sought.
The slowdown in home building and building permits is a sign that buyers and builders are less incentivized after the federal tax credit for home buyers expired April 30.
