New home sales rise as buyers run out of options in the resale market

The strength in new home sales was also driven by a massive jump in sales in the south. Overall, new home sales are trending higher as buyers grapple with a low level of home listings in the existing home sales market.

U.S. new home sales rose 4.1% to an annual rate of 683,000 in April, from a revised 656,000 in the prior month, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. 

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US home prices fall by most in 11 years but sales are down

In April, sales of existing homes — which include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops — dropped 3.4% from March. Annually, sales were down 23% from a year ago and the seasonally adjusted annualized sales pace dropped from 5.57 million units a year ago to 4.28 million in April.

U.S. Leading Indicators Index Falls for 13th Straight Month

The U.S. leading economic index fell 0.6% in April, according to the nonprofit Conference Board. The index, which dropped 1.2% in March, has now declined for 13 consecutive months, indicating that the U.S. economy continues to inch toward a potential recession.

Initial jobless claims fell last week as fraudulent activity in Massachusetts clouds data

The number of first-time claims for weekly jobless benefits fell last week to 242,000, down 22,000 from 264,000 the week before, according to data published Thursday by the Department of Labor.

Continuing claims, which are filed by people who have received jobless benefits for more than one week, dipped to 1.799 million for the week ended May 6 from a revised 1.807 million the week prior.

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