Sales of existing homes rose in February, reflecting an increase in shopping activity and in the number of homes for sale since the start of the year.
U.S. existing-home sales rose 4.2% in February from the prior month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 4.26 million, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday. That was far better than expectations. Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal had estimated a monthly decrease of 3.2%.