Financial News: U.S. Pending Home Sales Jump Much More Than

U.S. Pending Home Sales Jump Much More Than Expected In March

04/21/2026 - 10:10:00 (RTTNews)

(RTTNews) - Pending home sales in the U.S. increased by much more than expected in the month of March, according to a report released by the National Association of Realtors on Tuesday.

NAR said its pending home sales index jumped by 1.5 percent to 73.7 in March after surging by 2.5 percent to an upwardly revised 72.6 in February.

Economists had expected pending home sales to climb by 0.9 percent compared to the 1.8 percent leap originally reported for the previous month.

"Contract signings rose in March despite higher mortgage rates, pointing to pent-up housing demand," said NAR Chief Economist Dr. Lawrence Yun. "A greater supply of inventory will help translate that demand into more home sales."

The bigger than expected increase in pending home sales partly reflected strength in the Northeast and South, where pending home sales spiked by 4.4 percent and 3.9 percent, respectively.

On the other hand, the report said pending home sales in the West tumbled by 2.6 percent and pending home sales in the Midwest slumped by 1.3 percent.

"A good number of markets in the South experienced price cuts over the past year but recorded the strongest job growth," Yun said. "That combination should lead to stronger housing market activity in the South this year."

For comments and feedback: contact editorial@rttnews.com

Market News provided by RTTNews

RECENT INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL NEWS

Three-Year Note Auction Attracts Below Average Demand (01 hr(s), 17 min(s), 29 sec(s) ago)
(RTTNews) - The Treasury Department kicked off this week's series of announcements of the resu ...Full Story»

U.S. Existing Home Sales Rebound Much Less Than Expected In April (03 hr(s), 02 min(s), 29 sec(s) ago)
(RTTNews) - After reporting a sharp pullback by U.S. existing home sales in the previous month, th ...Full Story»

Cyprus Trade Gap Widens In March (04 hr(s), 43 min(s), 29 sec(s) ago)
(RTTNews) - The foreign trade deficit of Cyprus increased in March from a year ago as imports grew ...Full Story»

Czech Retail Sales Growth Rebounds In March (04 hr(s), 57 min(s), 29 sec(s) ago)
(RTTNews) - The Czech Republic's retail sales expanded at an accelerated pace in March, data f ...Full Story»

Latvia Trade Gap Widens In March (05 hr(s), 30 min(s), 29 sec(s) ago)
(RTTNews) - Latvia's foreign trade deficit increased in March from a year ago, as imports grew ...Full Story»

Denmark Inflation Rises To 1.4% In April (06 hr(s), 03 min(s), 29 sec(s) ago)
(RTTNews) - Denmark's consumer price inflation increased in April to the highest level in four ...Full Story»

Turkey Retail Sales Growth Quickens In March (06 hr(s), 39 min(s), 29 sec(s) ago)
(RTTNews) - Turkey's retail sales growth accelerated in March to the highest level in more tha ...Full Story»

Romanian Trade Deficit Widens In March (08 hr(s), 37 min(s), 29 sec(s) ago)
(RTTNews) - Romania's foreign trade deficit increased in March from a year ago as exports grew ...Full Story»