Purchases of new U.S. homes unexpectedly retreated in June and prior readings were revised down, painting a picture of less robust improvement during the industry’s busiest time of year. Sales fell 6.8 percent to a 482,000 annualized pace, the weakest since November and lower than any forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg, Commerce Department figures showed Friday in Washington. Three of four regions suffered setbacks. The report represents a departure from recent data that’s shown the housing industry was accelerating amid steady job growth and still-low mortgage rates. That may mean the residential real ... (full story)