Category Archives: Consumers

Jobs Recession Finally Over?

Posted on April 5, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs Is the jobs recession finally over? It’s taken this long to bring employment back to pre-Great Recession levels. Overall employment is still slightly below the pre-recession peak (437 thousand fewer total jobs).  But private employment is now above … Continue reading →

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The Ryan Budget Myth and Obamacare

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly Representative Paul Ryan has come up with his latest Republican budget proposal, and it changes nothing. It neither promotes economic growth, nor reduces the budget deficit, as with past Republican budget proposals. That’s because its real target … Continue reading →

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Fed Chair Yellen Is the Workers’ Best Friend

Posted on April 1, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs We have just heard from new Federal Reserve Chairperson Janet Yellen in her first official speech entitled, What the Federal Reserve is Doing to Promote a Stronger Job Market. Her speech not only boosted the financial markets, but … Continue reading →

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No Relief Yet With Pending Sales

Posted on March 31, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner We can’t yet count on Pending Home Sales, a predictor of closings in 60 to 90 days, to predict a boost to this year’s sales. They have been falling since last July, and the last spike in … Continue reading →

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What’s Happened to New-Home Sales?

Posted on March 25, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Financial FAQs Sales of new single-family houses in February 2014 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 440,000, according to U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates. This is 3.3 percent below the … Continue reading →

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So Fannie and Freddie Weren’t the Problem…

Posted on March 21, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly We are learning just how much mortgage fraud was committed by 17 national and international banks and other financial entities that the Federal Housing Finance Authority (FHFA) originally sued to recover some $200 billion in losses to … Continue reading →

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Will Housing Starts Save Inventories?

Posted on March 18, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

The Mortgage Corner Will new housing construction improve the very low inventory levels that are restricting housing sales? It is hard to know at present if this slowdown is due more to the severe winter weather, lack of inventory, or … Continue reading →

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Losing Fannie and Freddie—A Terrible Idea

Posted on March 16, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs There was a reason Fannie Mae (Federal National Mortgage Association) and Freddy Mac (Federal Home loan Mortgage Corporation) were government created entities, before they became private corporations in the 1970s.  They encouraged homeownership at a time when owning … Continue reading →

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Government Is Missing in Job Creation

Posted on March 12, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

Popular Economics Weekly We know now why job creation has been so weak in the recovery from the Great Recession, or Lesser Depression, as some have called it. Governments have lost too many jobs, and that mostly includes public safety … Continue reading →

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JOLTS and Decline of Household Debt

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Popular Economics Weekly

Financial FAQs There is a direct correlation between the increase in job openings announced in the Labor Department’s JOLTS (Job Openings and Labor Turnover) report, and declining household debt. How so? The increase in job opportunities—the number of job openings … Continue reading →

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