Archive for May, 2009

Mid-Morning Recap: Banks Hire Thousands for Refi Boom

Thursday, May 14th, 2009

Despite poor data and talk of more regulation, markets are on the gain 90 minutes into Thursday’s session. The S&P 500 opened high on Thursday, dipped into negative shortly before 10 am, but has since retraced the losses to be up 0.64% to 889...(read more)

Mid-Morning Recap: Geithner Looks to Help Small Banks; Mortgage Applications Fall

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

Markets were hit with three poor data points before the opening bell on Wednesday. Mortgage Loan Applications took a tumble , April’s Retail Sales report unexpectedly fell, and a rise in import prices heavily outweighed a gain in export prices....(read more)

Treasury’s Geithner Said Financial System ‘Starting to Heal’

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

In announcing new efforts to ensure that small banks have the capital needed to weather the current storm, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner said the financial system is beginning to heal, but that recovery will take time. Speaking before the Independent...(read more)

Mortgage Applications Tumble In First Week of May

Wednesday, May 13th, 2009

Despite lower mortgage rates, loan applications for the week ending May 8 fell 8.6% compared to the prior week, said the Mortgage Bankers Association on Wednesday. The average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage decreased to 4.76% from 4.79%. The Market...(read more)

Mid-Morning Recap: NAR Home Prices Fall, BofA Beefs up Capital

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Markets began higher on Tuesday, quickly turned negative, and roughly 90 minutes into the session have nearly bounced back to parity. News from around that nation has been mixed on Tuesday, with financial institutions beefing up capital, prices of houses...(read more)

Mid-Morning Recap: Markets Giving Back Last Week’s Gains

Monday, May 11th, 2009

Markets are off to a lousy start on Monday with the big three U.S. indexes in the red after closing on 2009 highs on Friday. In the absence of new economic data, investors are rethinking the two-month rally that helped major indexes rise more than 40...(read more)

‘Stress Tests’ Show Ten Banks Must Raise Fresh Capital

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

Results of the Supervisory Capital Assessment Program, better known as the Stress Tests, were released after markets closed on Thursday. The tests ― a comprehensive measure of how the top 19 banks would perform under various “what-if” scenarios...(read more)

Mid-Morning Recap: Markets Suffer as Bernanke Calls for Regulation

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

Following an optimistic opening due to a somewhat optimistic labor report, all three major U.S. indexes have dropped into the red as Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke calls for regulation overhaul. As of 11:00 am EST, the S&P has dropped 0.42...(read more)

Freddie Mac Rates Rise on Positive News

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

Buoyed by a spate of good economic news, mortgage interest rates rose slightly from the record low territory of the last few weeks according to results of Freddie Mac's weekly survey . The Primary Mortgage Market Survey released this morning reports...(read more)

Fed Chairman Bernanke Calls for Increased Regulation, Oversight

Thursday, May 7th, 2009

The late economist Hyman Minsky often summed up his theory of financial instability with the paradoxical phrase, “Stability creates instability.” Speaking on Thursday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke echoed that sentiment as he called...(read more)