NEW YORK (REUTERS) - US home prices rose in November to rack up their best yearly gain since the housing crisis began, a further sign that the sector is on the mend.
But data on consumer confidence was less encouraging, with moods falling to their lowest level in more than a year as Americans became more pessimistic about the economic outlook and their financial prospects in the wake of higher taxes for many.
The S&P/Case Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas gained 0.6 per cent in November on a seasonally adjusted basis, in line with economists' forecasts. Prices in the 20 cities rose 5.5 per cent year over year, making for the strongest yearly price increase since August 2006 when prices were on their way down.
The housing market became a bright spot for the United States economy last year as prices rose and inventory tightened. The sector is expected to contribute to economic growth this year.
"What we're seeing is really a gradual improvement in the overall economy," said Mr Anthony Chan, chief economist for Chase Private Client in New York.
Rising home prices and recent gains in the stock market should blunt the impact of tax increases for consumers, and spending should improve by the second half of the year, said Mr Chan.
Home buyers also have been enticed by historically low interest rates. The Federal Reserve's latest stimulus efforts are helping to keep rates low, as the central bank buys assets, including mortgage-backed securities.
It was the 10th month in a row that prices have increased, the longest string of gains since before 2006. Last year's rise in prices beat a nine-month consecutive run in 2009 and 2010, when the market was boosted by a home-buyer tax credit.
A number of challenges remain for the housing market, including tight access to mortgages and ongoing foreclosures.
Highlighting the hurdles on the path to recovery, separate government data showed the homeownership rate slipped to 65.4 per cent in the fourth quarter from 65.5 per cent.
Consumer attitudes dropped more than expected to 58.6 this month, data from The Conference Board showed. It was the lowest level since November 2011.
At the start of the year, US politicians came to an agreement that averted the so-called fiscal cliff of spending cuts and tax increases that had been set to come into effect.
But the deal did raise taxes for many Americans, while a payroll tax holiday came to an end. Lawmakers still face a number of budget decisions.
"Consumers are probably pretty unhappy to notice that their payroll taxes have gone up," said Mr David Sloan, an economist at 4Cast in New York.
The Conference Board's consumer expectations index tumbled to its lowest level since October 2011 at 59.5, while the present situation measure slipped to 57.3.
Consumers' views on the labour market were also weaker, with the "jobs hard to get" index rising for the first time since September.
Economists said the pain should be short lived, and that confidence was likely to perk back up as long as Washington can come to an agreement on the budget issues yet to be resolved.
"This might bounce back pretty quickly as people get used to a smaller paycheque. Right now, it's a sticker shock," said Mr Craig Dismuke, chief economic strategist at Vining Sparks in Memphis, Tennessee.
