The National Association of Realtors (NAR) released its pending home sales figures for the U.S. on Friday. Pending home sales in the U.S. rose 1.7% in January, missing expectations for a 2.5% increase, after a 1.5% decline in December. December's figure was revised up from a 3.7% drop.
The NAR's chief economist Lawrence Yun said that contract activity is increasing.