Home Prices in 20 U.S. Cities Increase by Most Since 2006

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose in December by the most in more than six years, a sign the housing-market recovery is strengthening.

The S&P/Case-Shiller index of property values increased 6.8 percent from December 2011, the biggest year-to-year gain since July 2006, after advancing 5.4 percent in November, a report showed today in New York. The median projection of 30 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a 6.6 percent advance. Nineteen of 20 cities showed gains.