Australia new homes sales jump 6% in Dec

[SYDNEY] Sales of new homes in Australia jumped in December to end three months of falls and finish 2015 on a strong note, an industry survey showed on Wednesday.

The Housing Industry Association (HIA) said its survey of large-volume builders showed sales of new homes rose a seasonally adjusted 6.0 per cent in December, from November when they dipped 2.7 per cent.

Sales of detached homes increased by 2.2 per cent, while multi-unit sales surged 21.1 per cent. "Key leading indicators of new home building are consistent with very healthy national construction volumes persisting throughout the first half of 2016," said HIA Chief Economist Harley Dale.

REUTERS