PulteGroup Inc., the largest U.S. home builder by market value, reported its net income in the fourth quarter quadrupled from that of a year earlier.

The national housing market is showing signs of recovery, and the improvement is evident in the performance of the nation’s largest master-planned communities, according to survey data from John Burns Real Estate Consulting.

Trulia’s December 2012 Housing Barometer, a monthly roundup in which three key housing indicators are measured relative to their worst points during the crash and their normal levels, shows the housing recovery is 52 percent back to normal.

The American Chemistry Council's monthly Chemical Activity Barometer showed sustained growth, notching a 0.4 percent gain over December 2012 on a three-month moving average basis.

The multifamily sector has led the way in the recovery of the overall housing market and will continue to do so over the next several years.

Total existing-home sales in 2012 were the highest in five years, while the annual price rose the most since 2005.

A new report from the Portland Cement Association projects total housing starts to reach 954,000 units in 2013, reflecting further improvement on nearly 30 percent growth in 2012.

Gains in both single-family and multifamily housing production resulted in nationwide housing starts rising 12.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 954,000 units in December, according to the U.S. Commerce Department.

Builder confidence in the market for newly built, single-family homes was unchanged in January, remaining at a level of 47 on the National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index.