LOS ANGELES - The already battered home building industry got another dose of bad news Friday as a key bellwether of the sector's health showed sales of new homes and prices dipped in June, dashing hopes for a summertime housing turnaround. The Commerce Department said the pace of new single-family home sales fell by 0.6 percent from May to June. Sales are now 33 percent below a year ago, while prices are off 2 percent. "I'm surprised only that it's declined more in June over May," said Tim Eller, chief executive Centex Corp. in Dallas. "The markets are continuing to deteriorate and I think that's an illustration of that fact." The company is expected to report a quarterly loss of $1.10 a share on Tuesday, according analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial. Earlier this week, Pulte Homes Inc. also reported a loss for its second...
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