U.S. home price trends see gains in February

U.S. home price trends moderated in February. The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price NSA Index, the leading measure of U.S. home prices, covering all nine U.S. census divisions, reported a 2 percent annual gain in February, down from 3.7 percent in January.

The 10-City Composite annual increase was at 0.4 percent, down from 2.5 percent in the previous month, and the 20-City Composite posted a 0.4 percent year-over-year gain, down from 2.6 percent in the same time period.

S&P Dow Jones Indices (S&P DJI) said the data released for February shows a modest increase in its national composites, although eight of the 20 major metro markets reported lower prices. Miami (with a 10.8 percent year-over-year price increase) recorded the highest gains among the 20 cities in February, making it the best-performing city for the seventh consecutive month. It was followed by Tampa, Fla., with a 7.7 percent increase, and Atlanta, with a 6.6 percent increase.