HOMEBUILDER SENTIMENT STRENGTHENS

Sentiment among U.S. homebuilders rose in February for a second month, exceeding all forecasts, as lower mortgage rates and a strong labor market help stabilize demand.

The National Association of Home Builders/ Wells Fargo Housing Market Index rose to 62 from 58 amid broad improvement on gauges of sales, expectations and buyer traffic, data released Tuesday showed.

The median estimate in Bloomberg’s survey had called for a rise to 59. Readings above 50 indicate more builders view conditions as good.

The pickup in sentiment, which fell to a three-year low of 56 in December, suggests buyers are taking note of mortgage costs falling to the lowest levels in almost a year as Federal Reserve policy makers pledge patience on further increases in the benchmark interest rate.

EU issues specific pollution standards for trucks.

» The European Union on Tuesday reached a tentative agreement on the first specific EU standards for trucks, seeking to get polluting CO2 levels down.

The agreement among negotiators from the European Parliament and member nations says such emissions for new trucks will have to be 30 percent lower by 2030 compared with today’s levels.

Heavy trucks carry more than two-thirds of freight across the 28-nation bloc.

EU Commissioner Arias Canete said the standards “will help tackle emissions, as well as bring fuel savings to transport operators and cleaner air for all Europeans.”

Huawei founder denies sharing secrets with China.

The founder of Huawei Technologies said in an interview broadcast Tuesday that the company has never shared information with the Chinese government and denied that his products contain “back doors” that would allow Beijing to spy on customers.

Ren Zhengfei told the “CBS This Morning” program that the allegations that he is coordinating with Chinese intelligence officials or unwittingly supplying them with eavesdropping tools are not based on facts.

Asked whether his company’s hardware has built-in vulnerabilities to enable government spying, perhaps without his knowledge, he said, “It is not possible because across our entire organization we have stressed once and again that we will never do that.”

Ren’s television interview — his first with an American journalist — comes at a tumultuous moment for him and his company, the world’s largest communications equipment manufacture.

China’s auto sales fall in January for eighth month.

BEIJING» China’s auto sales fell for an eighth month in January, extending a painful decline for the biggest global market as demand cooled amid a slowing economy and tariffs standoff with the U.S.

Purchases of sedans, SUVs and minivans fell 15 percent from a year earlier to just over 2 million vehicles, according to an industry group, the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers.

— Denver Post wire services