By Joshua KirbyThe number of houses going under contract rose by more than expected in December as the U.S. housing market limbers up for a strong start to the year. Here are the main takeaways from the National Association of Realtors' report released Friday:--The pending home sales index, a leading, forward-looking indicator of home sales based on contract signings, rose 8.3% to 77.3 in December compared with a month earlier. --The news signals a buoyant start to 2024 for the housing market as mortgage rates ease and home prices remain stable, said Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist. --Three of four regional divisions showed a rising sales index in December, with the West surging 14% and the South and Midwest also booking increases. Write to Joshua Kirby at joshua.kirby@wsj.com; @joshualeokirby(END) Dow Jones NewswiresJanuary 26, 2024 10:14 ET (15:14 GMT)Copyright (c) 2024 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

Source: Wall Street Journal January 26, 2024 15:23 UTC