It's not so much that the past three days have been remarkably good for MBS prices, but rather that an extended period of relatively stable bullishness that began in August merely made it two ticks higher than previous. In other words, this isn't so much about something unique happening versus...
Is data driving the markets? Economic reports? Stocks are up and bonds have ticked down slightly. So does this mean that it was the better than expected durable goods print filling the causality role? Not even remotely. We talked quite a bit yesterday about market movements being disconnected from fundamentals...
Home sales in U.S. metropolitan areas are up sharply compared to a year ago , Radar Logic reported on Wednesday. Improved home affordability and low mortgage rates contributed to a 7% annual gain in home sales in the 25 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs)tracked by Radar Logic's RPX housing report...
For two days in a row the news about housing has looked at least a little bit hopeful. On Monday the national real estate firm REMAX announced an increase of 6.5 percent in the sales of existing homes in December and Tuesday the National Association of Realtors® reported that pending sales were up...
U.S. home values fell by nearly 10% in the second quarter of 2008, causing one in four home sales over the past year to be at a loss, according to a new real estate survey. Zillow.com, an online real estate community, is reporting that U.S. home values in the second quarter posted their largest year...
According to economists and strategists, the U.S. housing market is going to be the top news in the U.S. Along with new and existing home sales, the Fed beige book and the durable goods report will provide important glimpses into the economy. In Canada, markets will pay attention to retail sales and...
The National Association of Realtors® ( NAR ) announced on Monday that it is launching a new campaign , reaching out to consumers "with the facts about homeownership and the value of real estate as a long-term investment." NAR's Public Awareness Campaign is centered around a new website, www.HousingMarketFacts...
It seems that nary a week can pass without a subprime disaster of some type. This week is no exception although there was at least a bit of variety due to bad news coming from other parts of the housing industry. Here is the rundown. On Tuesday Moody's Investors Service announced it was downgrading its...
Every so often a house comes on the market that is said to be stigmatized . Most of the time the stigma is in the mind of one or two buyers, but sometimes it will be a serious issue for multiple buyers and can affect the marketing of the property. Common stigmas are created when a murder or a suicide...
We will give only a passing nod to Freddie Mac's Economic and Housing Market Outlook for May as much of it deals with the Quarter 1 report on cash-out refinancing which we already covered in detail here on Tuesday. However, a few things are worth noting. First of all, as regards the cash-out data, the...