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Mortgage rates are moving higher this morning as prices of mortgage backed securities have been led lower. To remind readers, as the price of MBS move higher lenders can offer lower mortgage rates and as the price of MBS moves lower, lenders are pressured to offer higher interest rates. The only data...
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A steady rally in benchmark Treasury yields yesterday helped prices of mortgage backed securities move to five month highs which allowed lenders to keep mortgage rates near five month lows. The major event that took place in the rates market yesterday was the Treasury auction of $20 billion in 10 year...
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After holding levels not seen since early this summer for over a week, mortgage rates are under some pressure to move higher. Yesterday, mortgage backed securities were lower in price which forced lenders to offer higher mortgage rates. The downward move continued all the way into close which led to...
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Peter Morici, business professor of the U. of Maryland, and David Kotok, CIO of Cumberland Advisors, discuss Bernanke's recent comments regarding the financial crisis.
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Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke traveled to the U.S. heartland to defend the central bank's actions and reaffirm his assessment of an improving, but still vulnerable, U.S. economy. CNBC's Steve Liesman has the details.
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Live! From Capitol Hill: Opening Remarks from Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke, FDIC Chairwoman Sheila Bair, and U.S. Currency Comptroller John Dugan (Bloomberg News)
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Interview and discussion with Keith McCullough of the Research Edge. He says inflation will accelerate in the fourth quarter. (Bloomberg News)
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Aggressive policy actions taken around the world last fall may well have averted the collapse of the global financial system, an event that would have had extremely adverse and protracted consequences for the world economy. Even so, the financial shocks that hit the global economy in September and October...
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The depth and breadth of the global recession has required a highly accommodative monetary policy. Since the onset of the financial crisis nearly two years ago, the Federal Reserve has reduced the interest-rate target for overnight lending between banks (the federal-funds rate) nearly to zero. We have...
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Stock futures are mixed ahead of a light Thursday. Aside from the weekly jobless claims report, only one other release is on the schedule and it’s the final revision to Q1 GDP. With markets characteristically looking ahead the revisions for January to March are unlikely to carry much weight. However...
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Echoing comments from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Wednesday, Cleveland’s regional Fed President Sandra Pianalto said economic recovery could be slower than expected. "Once the recession ends, we may be tempted to hope that the economy will take off at a full gallop, but that is...
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One day ahead of the all-important Nonfarm Payrolls report for May, the focus is on speeches from Federal Reserve officials, overseas policy, and Treasury auctions. The weekly Jobless Claims report for the final week of May is expected to show 620,000 new filings for unemployment benefits. It’s...
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The major stock indexes opened lower after pre-session data indicated the labor market had suffered major losses in May. The selling continued after the 10 am testimony from Federal Chairman Ben Bernanke , who said the growing fiscal debt couldn’t be ignored and that recovery from the recession...
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In contrast to the optimistic assumptions of the Obama administration, Ben Bernanke said economic recovery could be slow as businesses will be cautious about hiring even as broader growth resumes. The Federal Reserve Chairman also said more emphasis needs to be put on restoring fiscal balance. “Even...
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Friday won’t see a single data release, but there’s plenty on the minds of investors as worries abound that the U.S. currency could lose its AAA-rating . In addition, two gloomy speeches from central bank officials Thursday evening brought the U.S. dollar down a notch overnight. Federal Reserve...