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Orders for U.S. business equipment climbed in May, showing corporate investment is helping revive the economy after a slump at the start of the year.

Sales of new homes increased 18.6% in May, the biggest one-month gain since January 1992, to a 504,000 annualized pace, figures from the Commerce Department showed June 24 in Washington.

The Conference Board’s index of U.S. consumer confidence increased to 85.2 in June from 82.2 a month earlier, the New York-based private research group said.

°®¶¹´«Ã½ prices in 20 U.S. cities rose at a slower pace than forecast in the year ended in April as declining affordability put a lid on appreciation.

The average price for regular gasoline at U.S. pumps climbed 1.87 cents in the past two weeks to $3.71 a gallon, according to Lundberg Survey Inc.

Purchases of previously owned U.S. homes rose more than projected in May, a sign the industry is stabilizing after a weather-depressed quarter.

Fewer Americans filed applications for unemployment benefits last week, a sign of steady progress in the labor market.

Builders broke ground on 1 million U.S. homes in May, indicating the industry is picking up this quarter after a weather-induced slump to start the year.

The consumer price index increased 0.4% in May, the biggest advance since February 2013, after climbing 0.3% the prior month, a Labor Department reported.