US pending home sales drop sharply in December, dampening 2026 outlook

From cnbc.com

Stagnant mortgage rates, falling housing supply and ongoing economic uncertainty weighed heavily on homebuyers in December. Pending home sales, a measure of signed contracts on existing homes, dropped 9.3% last month from November, according to the National Association of Realtors. Analysts were expecting a slight gain. Sales were 3% lower than December 2024. “The housing sector is not out of the woods yet,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the Realtors. “After several months of encouraging signs in pending contracts and closed sales, the December new contract figures have dampened the short-term ... (full story)