U.S. housing starts rose to a near eight-year high in July as builders ramped up construction of single-family homes, the latest indication that the economy was firing on almost all cylinders. Groundbreaking increased 0.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual pace of 1.21 million units, the highest level since October 2007, the Commerce Department said on Tuesday. Housing starts have now been above a one million-unit pace for four straight months.