Category Archives: Economy

No Tapering By Fed This Year

Popular Economics Weekly Fed Chairman Bernanke once more ‘clarified’ his remarks, saying there is no way the Fed will even begin to raise their (short term) interest rates when the unemployment rate falls to 6.5 percent. “There will not be … Continue reading

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Mortgage Delinquencies Continue Decline

The Mortgage Corner Mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures continue to decline. According to Lender Processing Services (LPS), 6.08 percent of mortgages were delinquent in May, down from 6.21 percent in April, while 3.05 percent of mortgages were in the foreclosure process, … Continue reading

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QE3 Works, So Please Don’t Mess With It!

Financial FAQs Dear Federal Reserve Governors; Please don’t mess with QE3 just yet! Not in September, or even December. There are still too many reasons not to begin to taper the $85 billion per month in purchases that have kept … Continue reading

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Managing Expectations—The Fed’s Two-Edged Sword

Popular Economics Weekly It does look like the results of Fed Chairman Bernanke’s push for greater transparency in Federal Reserve policy deliberations are coming home to roost. Stock and bond prices have been whipsawed since Bernanke made the seemingly offhand … Continue reading

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Pending Home Sales Soaring As Well

The Mortgage Corner Watch out, homebuyers! There may be few homes left on the market if the National Association of Realtors’ May Pending Home Sales Index is any predictor of future sales. This is even though mortgage rates have risen … Continue reading

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New-Home Sales Up, Delinquencies Down

The Mortgage Corner Lots of news today. New-home sales are surging, while mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures continue to drop. Consumer sentiment is also up sharply, maybe because housing prices are soaring according to both the S&P Case-Shiller and FHFA (for … Continue reading

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Managing Fed’s Expectations—Why Austerity Now?

Popular Economics Weekly It seems that Ben Bernanke’s Federal Reserve has lost its nerve. Last week’s FOMC meeting confirmed that its Open Market Committee has decided to end the monthly QE3 security purchases sooner rather than later. We already see … Continue reading

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Did Bernanke Change His Tune?

Financial FAQs As we all know by now, Fed Chairman Bernanke seems to have abruptly switched sides in the stimulus debate. He said the purchases of $85 billion in bonds and mortgage securities could begin to be ‘tapered’ by the … Continue reading

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Economic Growth Stronger Than Predictions?

Popular Economics Weekly There are signs that economists have underestimated GDP growth this year. The New York Times surveyed economists in a recent Sunday front page article, that said growth could increase to 3 percent from the 2 percent norm … Continue reading

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Housing Construction Key to Economic Recovery

The Mortgage Corner Any doubts that housing is leading the economic recovery should be dispelled by now. Existing-home sales are projected to top 5 million units per year, as the so-called shadow inventory of distressed homes continues to fall due … Continue reading

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