Home prices in major U.S. cities rose for the second straight month in June in the latest sign the housing market may be steadying after years of declines. After three years of declines, home prices increased 2.9% in the three months ended June 30, according to the latest S&P/Case-Shiller report. That is the first quarter-over-quarter improvement in three years. The S&P/Case-Shiller index for home prices in 20 major cities in the three months ended June 30 was up 1.4% from its level in the three months ended May 31. It was the first time the index rose two months in a row since mid-2006. Prices gained in 18 of 20 markets, but were still down 31% from their July 2006 peak.
