Published: 2026-04-21T14:18:50.000Z
U.S. March Pending Home Sales - Stronger than expected but no clear trend
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Pending home sales have seen an unexpected 1.5% increase in March, a second straight gain, though the declines of December and January have still not been fully reversed, and the yr/yr picture remains marginally negative.
The gain contrasts a decline in March existing home sales, and also hints in recent NAHB and MBA survey data that housing demand is being undermined by rising mortgage rates as inflation fears build.
Regionally gains were seen in the Northeast, which looks corrective from three straight declines that may have been partly weather-related, and more surprisingly a second straight gain in the South, which is the largest region. Sales in the Midwest and West slipped after two straight gains.
