By Nick Godt
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- The dollar index firmed on Thursday, gaining especially against the yen, after the National Association of Realtors said existing home sales fell 2.7% to 5.10 million in August, the first monthly drop in five months. The dollar index (DXY 76.26, +0.21, +0.28%) , which measures the U.S. unit against a basket of six major currencies, stood at 76.558, compared with 76.188 earlier, and up from 76.377 in late New York trade Wednesday. The decline in sales was unexpected by most economists. The median forecast by economists surveyed by MarketWatch was for a small gain to a 5.40 million annual rate from 5.25 million in July.
