Consumer confidence rebounded in April, pointing to underlying strength in the economy. Strong confidence is likely to fuel an increase in consumer spending. New home sales, which account for 11% of the housing market, increased 4% in March. That’s an 8.8% increase from a year ago, a big jump. Home prices continue to surge, even as mortgage rates rise. Home values jumped 6.3% in February over the previous year, according to Case-Shiller. The number of homeowners benefitting from the mortgage tax break is expected to drop by half in 2018. Only about 20% of all taxpayers have used the break in recent years.