Scott Horsley

The National Association of Realtors says sales rose 1.7 percent in February.

The average sales price was $398,000.

The average mortgage rate last week was 6%.

Asian stocks were up overnight.

Japan's Nikkei average rose nearly 3% after revised figures showed that country's economy grew a bit faster at the end of last year than initially reported.

Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

Since the Supreme Court struck down many of President Trump's tariffs two weeks ago, the companies that paid those import taxes have been wondering when and how they'll get their money back.

Customs estimates it collected some $166 billion from the now outlawed tariffs.

Refunding that money to more than 300,000 businesses will be cumbersome.

but the government says it's working on a streamlined process that won't require every importer to file individual lawsuits.

The government says it'll take about a month and a half to set up the program, which will use the same electronic filing system importers already rely on.

The proposal came after a judge at the Court of International Trade said this week the Supreme Court left the administration with no choice, but to refund the money it wrongly collected.

Scott Horsley, NPR News, Washington.

Job losses were widespread, with factories, construction companies, and the federal government all shedding workers.

Even health care, which has been a source of strength in the job market, lost jobs in February, partly as a result of a nurses' strike.

Job gains for December and January were also revised downward, with December now showing a net loss of jobs.

The unemployment rate inched up last month to 4.4 percent.

Policymakers had hoped the job market was stabilizing after anemic hiring in 2025, but February's job loss suggests continued weakness.

Average wages for those who are working continue to climb, with hourly wages up 3.8 percent in February from a year ago.

Scott Horsley, Impair News, Washington.