New Home Sales Increase Three Months in a Row For the FIrst Time in Five Years

Wall Street Journal -- New-home sales soared in June from the previous month, the third increase in a row and supplying fresh evidence the housing market is beginning to recover from its long crisis. Sales of single-family homes increased by 11.0% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 384,000 compared to the prior month, the Commerce Department said Monday.

The increase was the fourth in five months, as buyers take advantage of falling prices. It appears new-home sales reached a bottom in January, at a level of 329,000, and that the market is beginning to recover slowly. The level of 384,000 in June was the highest since 390,000 last November.

MP: The three consecutive monthly increases in new home sales for April, May, and June of this year was the first time since the summer of 2004 that new home sales increased three months in a row. The sales increases in four out of the last five months follows a long string of declines in 18 out the previous 21 months going back to May 2005 (see chart above, data here).

Update: The 11% June increase is the largest monthly percentage increase since the July 2000 gain of 11.85%, almost nine years ago, see First Trust Portfolio report here.