The National Association of Realtors said on Wednesday existing home sales increased 6.1 percent to an annual rate of 5.19 million units, the highest level since September 2013. “The stronger rebound in existing sales is extremely encouraging as it hints at a nascent rebound in economic activity over the coming weeks,” said Gennadiy Goldberg, an economist at TD Securities in New York. The U.S. housing index (.HGX) fell in line with the broader stock market.