U.S. new home sales see third monthly gain

WASHINGTON — Sales of new single-family homes in the U.S. logged a third consecutive major monthly increase and hit their highest levels since 2006, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. July’s sales were up 14 percent from June to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 901,000 units, beating analyst expectations of 790,000 units. At the same time, June’s preliminary rate of 776,000 was revised upward to 791,000 units. New home sales in July were up 36 percent from a year prior.