HomeBuilders

[mlkrborn]

NEW DATA for home sales:
By Ruth Mantell

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. home prices were down 18.1% in the year ended April, according to the national Case-Shiller home price index released Tuesday. On a month-to-month basis, prices in 20 selected cities fell 0.6% in April, with declines in 11 cities. Still, the overall pace of decline slowed in April, said David Blitzer, chairman of the index committee for Standard & Poor's, which compiles the Case-Shiller index. "Every metro area, except for Charlotte, recorded an improvement in monthly returns over March," Blitzer said. "While one month's data cannot determine if a turnaround has begun, it seems that some stabilization may be appearing in some of the regions."