U.S. house prices jumped 0.9% in March, according to a price gauge released Tuesday. Prices in the S&P/Case-Shiller 20-City Index were 5.4% higher than a year ago, the same pace as in February. Analysts surveyed by Econoday had expected a 5.1% gain for the year and a 0.7% increase for the month. Limited inventory is driving the outsize price gains, S&P Dow Jones Chairman David Blitzer said in a statement. “The number of homes currently on the market is less than two percent of the number of households in the U.S., the lowest percentage seen since the mid-1980s.” The Pacific Northwest continued to notch the biggest ... (full story)