WASHINGTON
New US single-family home sales jumped to a seven-month high in February, suggesting the housing market recovery continued to gain momentum despite the challenges of high prices and tight inventories.
Other data on Thursday showed an unexpected increase in the number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits last week.
Still, the labour market continues to tighten, which together with the strength in housing, should underpin economic growth.
The Commerce Department said new home sales increased 6.1 per cent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 592,000 units last month, the highest level since July 2016. Sales have now recouped the sharp drop suffered in December.
Economists had forecast new home sales, which account for about 9.7 per cent of the overall market, rising 0.7 per cent to a rate of 565,000 units in February. Sales were up 12.8 per cent compared to the same month last year, showing the housing market’s resilience.
Last month’s sales were likely partially buoyed by unseasonably warm weather. Although mortgage rates have risen and may go higher, most economists see a limited impact on housing because a tightening labour market is improving employment opportunities for young adults.
In a separate report, the Labor Department said initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 15,000 to a seasonally adjusted 258,000 for the week ended March 18.
Claims have now been below 300,000, a threshold associated with a healthy labour market for 80 straight weeks. That is the longest stretch since 1970 when the labour market was smaller.
The job market is currently near full employment.
The four-week moving average of claims, considered a better measure of labour market trends as it irons out week-to-week volatility, rose only 1,000 to 240,000 last week.
US stocks were mostly flat as investors focused on whether the House of Representatives would pass a Republican-sponsored bill to begin dismantling Obamacare, which is seen as the first significant policy test for President Donald Trump.
