Pending home sales in April rose above those in the previous period for the second month in a row. The National Association of Realtors® said that contract signings in April increased 0.4 percent from those in March, sending the NAR’s Pending Home Sales Index to 97.8 from 97.4. The Index is 9.2 percent lower than in April 2013 when it was at 107.7. Economists surveyed by Reuters expected a 1.0 percent increase.