US pending home sales rise in March

US pending home sales rose in March, signaling the housing market could pick up in the spring selling season despite rising prices, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. The US economy was in a lull in the first quarter, and the housing market got off to a sluggish start. The NAR's pending home sales index rose 1.4 percent in March, much stronger than the 0.3 percent rise expected by analysts.