The housing market is gaining slight momentum as the summer winds down, but demand remains subdued overall. 

U.S. pending home sales edged up 0.4% week over week during the four weeks ending August 9 on a seasonally adjusted basis, offering a small boost to this summer’s sluggish housing market. Mortgage-purchase applications rose 3% week over week.

Pending sales are still at their second-lowest level since March, and the latest weekly uptick may reflect normal week-to-week changes rather than a meaningful shift in momentum. On a year-over-year basis, pending sales are down 1.6%.