Case-Shiller index bolsters housing hopes

The nation's housing market got its third dose of good news within a week with word that a closely tracked measure of housing prices showed its first monthly increase since summer 2006. Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller index, which excludes many high-end properties and homes bought with riskier mortgages or cash, showed that home prices in May rose from April in 13 of the 20 cities tracked.