A gauge of US house prices posted its first monthly gain in three years, providing some solace to consumers shaken by rising joblessness.

The S&P/Case-Shiller home-price index rose 0.5 percent in May from the prior month, the first gain since July 2006 and biggest since May of that year, the group said yesterday.

The S&P/Case-Shiller home-price index was down 17.1 percent from May 2008, less than projected and the smallest year-over-year drop in nine months.

Economists surveyed by Bloomberg forecast the index would drop 17.9 percent from a year earlier. Estimates ranged from declines of 17.5 percent to 18.3 percent.

Compared with a month earlier, 14 cities showed price gains, led by a 4.1 percent jump in Cleveland and a 1.9 percent increase in Dallas. Prices in New York were flat.