6 Houseplants You Can't Kill. No green thumb? No problem! Here are six botanical best bets that can survive some neglect.
Friday, September 30, 2011
6 Houseplants You Can't Kill
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Bernanke calls for more housing help from Washington
http://bit.ly/ofTb5W
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke delivered a speech Wednesday afternoon on emerging market economies, but it was his remarks about the state of the still-ailing U.S. economy in a Q&A after the speech that garnered the most attention.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Mortgage Rates Remain Low After Mixed Housing Reports
http://bit.ly/qlW04S
With the summer season now over, mortgage rates continue to remain low after mixed housing reports for the month of August.
30 Can't-Miss Home Staging Tips
http://bit.ly/qQKm6q
Designed to Sell designer Lisa LaPorta shares some of her best home staging tips.
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Much to most economists' surprise the pace of expansion in the service sector of the economy accelerated in August, snapping a three month losing streak.
The Institute of Supply Management said its services index rose to 53.3% in August from 52.7% in July. This index represents about 90% of all domestic economic activity. Today's uptick suggests the recovery is continuing to limp along even in the face of anemic job growth. Mortgage investors took note of the better-than-expected performance for the ISM's Service Sector Index - and then shrugged the whole thing off.
For the time being mortgage investors appear content to tread water as they await Fed Chairman Bernanke's 1:00 p.m. ET speech on Thursday and President Obama's address to a joint session of congress at 7:00 p.m. ET the same day. Until then the mortgage market will probably take directional cues from trading action in the stock markets. Higher stock prices will tend to push mortgage notes fractionally higher while lower stock prices will likely prove supportive of steady to perhaps slightly lower rates.
For what it is worth, some models are indicating the Dow Jones Industrial Average (a price-weighted average of 30 actively traded, primarily blue chip industrial stocks, considered to be an indicator of overall stock market conditions) will attempt to put in a short-term bottom somewhere in a price range between 11,040 to 10,950. This bottom, according to those models, will likely be made sometime between today and the close of business on Friday. If this assessment proves anywhere close to accurate, it will be difficult, if not impossible for mortgage note rates to move significantly lower from current levels. Heads up.
The Institute of Supply Management said its services index rose to 53.3% in August from 52.7% in July. This index represents about 90% of all domestic economic activity. Today's uptick suggests the recovery is continuing to limp along even in the face of anemic job growth. Mortgage investors took note of the better-than-expected performance for the ISM's Service Sector Index - and then shrugged the whole thing off.
For the time being mortgage investors appear content to tread water as they await Fed Chairman Bernanke's 1:00 p.m. ET speech on Thursday and President Obama's address to a joint session of congress at 7:00 p.m. ET the same day. Until then the mortgage market will probably take directional cues from trading action in the stock markets. Higher stock prices will tend to push mortgage notes fractionally higher while lower stock prices will likely prove supportive of steady to perhaps slightly lower rates.
For what it is worth, some models are indicating the Dow Jones Industrial Average (a price-weighted average of 30 actively traded, primarily blue chip industrial stocks, considered to be an indicator of overall stock market conditions) will attempt to put in a short-term bottom somewhere in a price range between 11,040 to 10,950. This bottom, according to those models, will likely be made sometime between today and the close of business on Friday. If this assessment proves anywhere close to accurate, it will be difficult, if not impossible for mortgage note rates to move significantly lower from current levels. Heads up.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Mortgage investors have completely shrugged-off this morning's stronger-than-expected decline in the weekly jobless claims number and the better-than-anticipated Institute of Supply Management Manufacturing Index. The near-term trend trajectory of mortgage interest rates is now leaning entirely on tomorrow morning's 8:30 a.m. ET release of the August Nonfarm Payroll figures.
The majority of economist are projecting the headline nonfarm payroll number will fall within shouting distance of 80,000 and the national jobless rate will remain at its current 9.1% level. These expectations are already well priced into the mortgage market. Numbers that match or exceed the current consensus estimate will probably exert upward pressure on mortgage interest rates -- while a headline number less than 75,000 and/or a jobless rate of 9.2% or higher will almost certainly prove supportive of fractionally lower rates before the day is over.
While lower rates are certainly welcome by borrowers and mortgage originators alike -they don't do much for the end investors. Yields to investors are approaching the point where they don't offer a return much greater than what the investor could get by simply stuffing their money under the mattress. The "so what" factor here is worth noting. At some point - from the investors' perspective - accepting lower yields on their mortgage portfolio becomes pointless - or dangerous - or both. Against this background it will not take much in the way of an inflation spike or signs of an accelerating economic recovery to prompt a dramatic upward surge in note rates.
FYI: The mortgage market will operate on a normal schedule on Friday, September 2nd and will be closed on Monday, September 5th for the Labor Day Holiday.
The majority of economist are projecting the headline nonfarm payroll number will fall within shouting distance of 80,000 and the national jobless rate will remain at its current 9.1% level. These expectations are already well priced into the mortgage market. Numbers that match or exceed the current consensus estimate will probably exert upward pressure on mortgage interest rates -- while a headline number less than 75,000 and/or a jobless rate of 9.2% or higher will almost certainly prove supportive of fractionally lower rates before the day is over.
While lower rates are certainly welcome by borrowers and mortgage originators alike -they don't do much for the end investors. Yields to investors are approaching the point where they don't offer a return much greater than what the investor could get by simply stuffing their money under the mattress. The "so what" factor here is worth noting. At some point - from the investors' perspective - accepting lower yields on their mortgage portfolio becomes pointless - or dangerous - or both. Against this background it will not take much in the way of an inflation spike or signs of an accelerating economic recovery to prompt a dramatic upward surge in note rates.
FYI: The mortgage market will operate on a normal schedule on Friday, September 2nd and will be closed on Monday, September 5th for the Labor Day Holiday.
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