Archive for November, 2008

Ongoing Crisis Could Last Years, Says Robert Shiller

Friday, November 28th, 2008

Robert Shiller , a well-known economist and professor at Yale University, said the ongoing financial crisis could last for years. He said blaming monetary policy for the crisis is simplistic and misleading, and called for three solutions to prevent a...(read more)

30 Year Interest Rates Retreat to October Levels

Wednesday, November 26th, 2008

Interest rates on the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) drifted back under 6 percent last week according to the results of Freddie Mac's Primary Mortgage Market Survey released Wednesday morning, a day ahead of the usual schedule due to the Thanksgiving...(read more)

New Home Sales Fall 5.3% in October

Wednesday, November 26th, 2008

New home sales in the U.S. fell more than expected, declining 5.3% in October to an annual pace of 433k, according to a report from the Commerce Department on Wednesday. The previous month's gain was revised downward to 0.7%. Economists were expecting...(read more)

MBA Mortgage Applications Move Higher

Wednesday, November 26th, 2008

Weekly mortgage applications in the United States increased in the week ending Nov. 21, according to data released from the Mortgage Bankers' Association (MBA) on Wednesday, which reported a 1.5% week-over-week rise in applications. In the previous...(read more)

Citigroup CEO Says Company Did Everything it Could, Short Sellers to Blame

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit said short sellers and plummeting confidence in the financial system are to blame for the plunge in Citigroup's stock last week. In an interview with the Charlie Rose Show, Pandit said his company is not too big to manage...(read more)

The Day Ahead: Mortgage Applications, New Home Sales, PCE Core, Jobless Claims

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

It's another busy day Wednesday ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday, with the release of U.S. personal income , the PCE Core Deflator , new home sales , durable goods and weekly jobless claims . U.S. durable goods are expected to fall 3.0% in October...(read more)

Preview: New Home Sales Expected to Fall to 17-Year Low in October

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

More gloomy news for the housing market is expected with the release of the U.S. new home sales report for October, which is expected to reach a 17-year low. Economists polled by Bloomberg expect new home sales to fall a further 5% to an annualized pace...(read more)

President-Elect Obama Adds Two Economic Advisers to Cabinet

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

President-elect Barack Obama added two figures to his economic cabinet , naming Peter Orszag as his White House budget director and Robert Nabors as Orszag's deputy, at a press conference on Tuesday. Since January 2007, Orszag has been director of...(read more)

Paulson Says New Initiatives to Assist Housing, Lending

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said that additional measures announced by the Federal Reserve and Treasury Tuesday morning are aimed at aiding the U.S. housing market and restoring affordable bank lending to consumers and small businesses. It was announced...(read more)

FDIC Says Bank Earnings Fell 94% in Q3 Versus One Year Ago

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008

Net income from U.S. banks totalled $1.7 billion in the third quarter, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on Tuesday, who added that the figure represents a 94% decline in banking income compared to twelve months ago. The report cited...(read more)