Index: Housing Price Rises to Continue

Investors expect continued housing price appreciation and are more optimistic about the performance of real estate investments than of stocks, according to the UBS/Gallup Index of Investor Optimism.In the June index, 63% of investors said they expect housing prices to rise over the next six months, 18% saying prices will rise "a lot" and 45% saying "a little," UBS reported. Only 13% said they expect housing price declines during that period. About 38% of investors say this is a good time to buy real estate, while 25% says it's time to sell, the company said. Regarding real estate versus stocks, 67% said they view real estate investments as more profitable and 77% said they see them as safer. Additional information on the index can be found online at http://www.ubs.com/investoroptimism.