New Home Sales Fall 4.6% in February

New home sales fell 4.6% in February, the Commerce Department said Tuesday.

Sales fell to a 411,000 annual rate from a revised 431,000, which was lower than originally reported, Commerce said.

The February rate was below economists’ median forecast of 420,000, Bloomberg News reported.

Purchases fell 13.3% in the Northeast and rose 13.7% in the Midwest.

Rising home sales can mean more business for flatbed trucking companies, which haul building materials, and for dry van freight carriers, which haul household appliances and furniture.