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Markets & Economy

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Inflation Fears to Focus on Consumer Price Report
Strong U.S. producer price growth in March may bode ill for Wednesday's reading on inflation at the broader consumer level, even though the two measures do not always move in lock-step. U.S. producer prices advanced at a worrying rate of 1.1 percent last month on the back of surging energy costs, according to a report released on Tuesday, raising concerns that the Federal Reserve could be stoking inflation with its campaign of aggressive interest rate cuts.
0 Comments Posted by: Greg Afarian on 04/15/08 in Markets & Economy

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Existing-Home Sales to Stablize Before Upturn in Second Half of 2008
Little change is expected in existing-home sales over the next few months, before improving notably during the second half of the year, according to the latest forecast by the National Association of Realtors®.
0 Comments Posted by: Greg Afarian on 04/15/08 in Markets & Economy

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Inflation Is Becoming a Big Problem For Economy, Fed
Inflation at the wholesale level soared in March at nearly triple the rate that had been expected as the costs of energy and food both climbed rapidly. The Labor Department reported Tuesday that wholesale prices rose by 1.1 percent last month, the largest increase since a 2.6 percent rise last November, which had been the biggest one-month jump in 33 years.
0 Comments Posted by: Greg Afarian on 04/15/08 in Markets & Economy

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Massachusetts home sales declined in February

0 Comments Posted by: Sandra Naroian on 04/22/08 in Markets & Economy

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Economic & Housing Research
Currently, the federal funds futures market indicates a 100 percent chance of a rate cut at the next Federal Reserve Committee meeting on April 30th and is roughly split between whether it will be a quarter or a half of a percentage point. Over the first eleven weeks of this year, the Federal Reserve reduced the overnight bank-lending rate by two percentage points, the fastest decline in two decades.
0 Comments Posted by: Greg Afarian on 04/15/08 in Markets & Economy

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PIMCO's Gross: Food, Energy Are Key to Inflation
Measuring inflation without including food and energy costs no longer makes sense, PIMCO Chief Investment Officer Bill Gross told CNBC. When looking at the Consumer Price Index, the broadest measure of inflation, the Federal Reserve and economists usually focus on the so-called core rate -- which excludes food and energy -- rather than the "headline" number, which looks at everything. The reason has been that food and energy tend to be volatile from month to month, so many experts felt that the core rate gave a more accurate picture of inflation.
0 Comments Posted by: Greg Afarian on 04/16/08 in Markets & Economy

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Wholesale Prices Soar 1.1% on Food, Energy Costs
U.S. producer prices advanced by a more-than-expected 1.1 percent in March after energy costs jumped, Labor Department data showed, but core inflation at the producer level was more subdued. The signs of surging food and energy prices at the producer level came as a separate report offered some hope for the downtrodden U.S. factory sector.
0 Comments Posted by: Greg Afarian on 04/16/08 in Markets & Economy

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Why some Realtors are flourishing
Regardless of what the media wants us to believe people are still getting married and still getting divorced. People are still being relocated and people are still moving to smaller homes and up to larger homes. The world didn't stop revolving and stop working the way it always has just because the media tells us how bad the housing market is
0 Comments Posted by: Sandra Naroian on 04/23/08 in Markets & Economy

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Consumer Confidence Data
U.S. consumer confidence fell for a third straight month in April, hitting its weakest in more than a quarter century on heightened worries over inflation and the sagging housing market, a survey showed Friday.
0 Comments Posted by: Greg Afarian on 04/25/08 in Markets & Economy

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Fed Leaves Markets Divided Over Further Rate Cuts
The Federal Reserve trimmed interest rates another quarter point, to 2%, as expected, but left markets guessing about whether further cuts would be needed. The Fed action, after a two-day meeting, pushed benchmark short-term interest rates down to the lowest level since late 2004. It also marked the seventh consecutive rate cut by the central bank since it began easing credit conditions last September to combat the growing threat of a recession brought on by a deep housing slump and credit crisis. The rate cut will mean lower borrowing costs throughout the economy as banks reduce their prime lending rate, the benchmark for millions of consumer and business loans.
0 Comments Posted by: Greg Afarian on 04/30/08 in Markets & Economy

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Housing aid bills face vetoes by President Bush
The House on Thursday passed a massive homeowner rescue plan to provide cheaper, government-backed mortgages to half a million debt-ridden borrowers and bolster an economy crippled by the housing crisis.
0 Comments Posted by: Bryan Barletta on 05/08/08 in Markets & Economy

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10 fastest growing real estate markets
Yes, even amid the housing crisis, parts of the U.S. are still expected to post price gains in the coming year, according to Money Magazine. Here's where to look.
0 Comments Posted by: James Shiner on 05/09/08 in Markets & Economy

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Agents, change your driving habits
Many real estate professionals drive 20,000 or more miles per year. With gasoline prices over $5 per gallon in some areas, today's column looks at what you can do to reduce your gasoline bill.
0 Comments Posted by: James Shiner on 07/18/08 in Markets & Economy