Best week in four years for Wall Street

Wall Street secured its best week in four years today, rising modestly after a surprise jump in home sales eased concern that frailty in the housing market will hurt economic growth.

Existing home sales rose by the biggest amount in nearly three years in February amid a sharp increase in sales in the Northeast, the National Association of Realtors said. The 3.9% increase was the largest since a similar jump in March 2004 – analysts had been expecting a decrease.