News roundup: New report is encouraging for U.S. housing market … Yuhuang awards engineering contract to Air Liquide for St. James plant … Encana sells assets in Haynesville

A good sign: Purchases of new homes in the U.S. rebounded in July, bolstering signs the real-estate market is picking up. Sales climbed 5.4%, the biggest gain this year, to a 507,000 annualized pace f…