Dive Brief:

• The latest Home Price Index from data-tracker CoreLogic provides more solid evidence for those who either celebrate or fret over increases.
• The report for January shows prices rose 12% from January 2013 if distressed sales are included, or 9.8% if they are not.
• January was a 0.9% increase from December, and HPI is predicting a 0.7% increase from January to February.

Dive Insight:

Whether the HPI numbers are good news or bad news depends where you stand on climbing U.S. home prices. Similarly, it could be comforting or worrisome that prices finished January about 17.3% below the peak they reached in April 2006. That year was the last time January had year-to-year and month-to-month price growth this strong, HPI Chief Economist Mark Fleming said.