U.S. consumers ebullient; home prices gain

House prices continued their steady recovery in October, although a spike in borrowing costs after Trump's Nov. 8 victory could present a headwind to sustained home value gains. The Conference Board said on Tuesday its Consumer Confidence Index rose to 113.7 this month from an upwardly revised 109.4 in November. The gain in confidence was entirely due to rising expectations as consumers' assessments of current conditions dipped, and was led by surging optimism among older Americans, Lynn Franco,