U.S. February New Home Sales Climb to 1.163 Mln Rate - 2004-03-24
U.S. sales of new houses unexpectedly increased last month to a 1.163 million annual rate, the third- biggest ever, fueled by a drop in mortgage rates, a government report showed.

Sales rose 5.8 percent in February from 1.099 million at an annual rate the month before, the Commerce Department said in Washington. The record pace was 1.2 million last June, followed by 1.19 million in August.
Read the full story at Bloomberg.com

Midwest new home sales jump in February - 2004-03-24
Low mortgage interest rates may have jumped started Midwest new home sales in February, new data unveiled Wednesday from the U.S. Department of Commerce show.

New home sales in the Midwest were up by 2.2 percent in February to185,000 new homes sold or for sale, up from 181,000 in February 2003. However, in January, there were 207,000 new homes sold or for sale in the Midwest, for a 10.6 percent decline from January to February.
Read the full story at St. Louis Business Journal