December's existing home sales surprised to the upside, hitting 4.35M units against expectations of 4.22M—a solid beat that signals housing market resilience. The month-on-month surge of 5.1% far outpaced the forecast of 2.2%, marking a sharp reversal from prior months' sluggish momentum.

However, the median price for existing homes settled at $405.4K, registering just a modest +0.4% gain. That's a notable deceleration compared to December 2024's 1.2% increase and the prior reading of $409.2K. The slowdown in price appreciation reflects cooling demand after the initial rebound.

This mixed picture—strong sales volume coupled with tepid price growth—paints a nuanced economic backdrop as crypto traders weigh macro headwinds and risk-on sentiment.