Archive for October, 2008

FOMC Unanimously Votes to Cut Target Rate 50 Basis Points to 1.00%

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

The Federal Reserve announced Wednesday that it would cut the Federal funds target rate by half a point, as widely expected, to 1.00% . The accompanying statement said economic activity had decreased markedly from a decline in consumer expenditure. Read More Now

FDIC Unveils Incentives to Mortgage Industry to Amend Loans

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Sheila Bair announced that the agency has created a program to offer economic incentives to the mortgage industry to amend loans and aid borrowers avoid foreclosures. Read More Now

MBA Mortgage Applications Move Up in Week Ending October 24

Wednesday, October 29th, 2008

Weekly mortgage applications in the United States increased in the week ending Oct. 24, according to data released from the Mortgage Bankers' Association (MBA) on Wednesday, which reported a 16.8% week-over-week gain in applications... Read More Now

Fed Widely Expected to Cut Rates 50 Basis Points to 1.00%

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

It is widely expected that the Federal Reserve will cut the Fed funds rate by 50 basis points to 1.00% on Wednesday, the lowest level since June 2004. Fed watchers expect the vote to be unanimous and the accompanying statement to echo the "wait-and-see" approach seen in previous months. ...

U.S. Third Quarter Vacancy Rates Remain Stalled at 2.8%

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

The National homeowner vacancy rate rose to 2.8% in the third quarter, unchanged from the previous quarter, the U.S. Census Bureau reported on Tuesday. National vacancy rates for rental housing rates dipped slightly to 9.9% from 10.0% in the second quarter of 2008. The rental vacancy rate was higher than ...

Consumer Confidence Plummets to All-Time Low of 38.0 in October

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

The Conference Board's U.S. consumer confidence index plunged far beyond expectations to hit an all-time low of 38.0 in October. The previous all-time low was 47.3, reached in February 1992. More recently, a 16-year low of 51.0 was reached last June. The previous month's headline reading of 56.9 was revised ...

Former Fed Chair Volcker Says “No Doubt” U.S. is in Recession

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

There is no doubt the U.S. economy is in recession, caused by slowing consumption spending and excessive debt, said former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker on Tuesday. "I don't think there is any doubt we are in a recession," Volcker said in Miami Beach, Florida. "We should have seen it coming." ...

More Banks Sign up to Sell Stock to Treasury

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

Both Reuters and the Wall Street Journal were reporting on Monday that more than a dozen banks had signed or expressed their intention to sign on to sell preferred stock in return for government funds in the last few days.  They join the original nine financial institutions which signed on ...

Case-Shiller Home Price Index Declines by 16.6% in August

Tuesday, October 28th, 2008

The S&P Case-Shiller home price index fell in line with expectations in August as the 20-city composite index posted a decline of 16.6%, extending July's 14.22% decline. The Case-Shiller index has fallen every month since peaking in July 2006, but economists say the rate of decline may be steadying, as evidenced ...

New Home Sales Rise 2.7% in September

Monday, October 27th, 2008

New home sales in the U.S. rose slightly more than anticipated, moving up 2.7% in September to an annual pace of 464k, yet the previous month's tumble was revised downward to a 12.6% decrease, according to a report from the Commerce Department on Monday. Economists were expecting September data to fall ...