JANUARY NEW HOME

SALES JUMP: Demand for new homes in the U.S. surged 4.3 percent in January with the housing market still one of the strongest segments of the economy. Last month’s increase pushed sales of new homes to an adjusted annual rate of 923,000, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. That’s much stronger than the 855,000 that economists were expecting. December’s new home sales figure was revised higher as well, from 842,000, to 885,000. Sales of new homes are now 19.3 percent higher than they were last year at this time.