Sorry the commentary is a little late today. I was trying to track my Chia Pet order . Who could resist? Don't be the last one on your block to own one! (These may have contributed to the strong Retail Sales number this morning.) In my spare time I write an advice column. The other day I received...
I never did well in the corporate world. Any employee knows, when you "take a long time", you're "slow". When your boss takes a long time, he's "thorough". When you "don't do it", you're "lazy". When your boss doesn't do it, he's...
Although the give and take wasn't quite as drastic as yesterday's, once again we saw prices travel in a confined range with an almost symmetrical pattern. Once again we had economic data that could be interpreted either way and a stock market that did not make a decided move in one direction...
Fed to Buy Total of Up to $200 Billion of GSE Debt in 2009, Sees "Gradual Resumption of Sustainable Economic Growth"; Fed Says Inflation May Persist Below Best Level, Will Use All Available Tools to Help Economy Recover; Fed to Continue Monitoring Balance Sheet Size and Composition (Bloomberg...
Analysis and reaction with Michael Pond of Barclays Capital. (Bloomberg News)
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis President James Bullard said it is fair to say the world is entering a period of exceptionally low interest rates . Speaking in New York, Bullard said the global recession will carry through until at least the first half of 2009. As for the U.S., he expects the first...
Long-term interest rates continued to drop during the week ended January 8 according to data released by Freddie Mac Thursday morning. The Primary Mortgage Market Survey recorded the tenth consecutive week of mortgage rate declines and the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) established yet another record...
Minutes from the Federal Reserve's historic Dec. 16 monetary policy committee meeting may reveal the reasons for its shift towards quantitative easing, the policy of flooding the financial system with liquidity. At its Dec. 16 rate decision, the Fed went beyond market expectations and cut the key...
Interest rates continued their slow but steady decent during the week ended December 31 according to results of the Primary Mortgage Market Survey released by Freddie Mac Wednesday morning. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) hit yet another historic low during the week averaging 5.10 percent, the...
The Federal Reserve announced Tuesday that it would cut the Federal funds target rate by 75 basis points to 0.25% , going a step further than the consensus market expectation. The accompanying statement said labour market conditions have deteriorated and that consumer spending, business investment, and...