Today is the last day that Ben Bernanke will spend as Chair of the central bank. He has led the US through some of the most challenging economic times that…
jeremyJanuary 31, 2014
Out With the Old, In With the Young
Now that the DOJ has dropped its criminal investigation of the remodel cost overruns on the Federal Reserve’s HQ, Jerome…
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The final GDP report for 2013 was reported today, showing that our economy increased 3.2% from October through December. This was a better than the anticipated increase of 3%, but…
jeremyJanuary 30, 2014
No news out again today. Today the baton will pass from Ben to Jan (so to speak) after the close of this, Ben Bernanke's last Fed meeting. Many expect that the…
jeremyJanuary 29, 2014
So I had lunch yesterday with my financial advisor and he suggested that I get out of emerging markets. Ordinarily I just do whatever Brad says because I trust him…
jeremyJanuary 24, 2014
Though coming in just below expectations, Existing Home Sales actually rose 1% to an annualized 4.87 million units bought/sold. Initial Jobless Claims were right in line with forecasts, and there continue…
jeremyJanuary 23, 2014
FHA released a mortgagee letter yesterday wherein they are again allowing "compensating factors" on manually underwritten loans, granting loan approval to home buyers with no credit and a 50% debt-to-income ratio. While this…
jeremyJanuary 22, 2014
The International Labor Organization reports today that global unemployment increased roughly 2.5% from 2012 to 2013, and there are now 202 million individuals out of work. Closer to home, the Department…
jeremyJanuary 21, 2014
As I look around my own house, the prospect of owning a brand new home is exhilarating. Maybe it's that we have been in our home now for 10 years…
jeremyJanuary 17, 2014
There were only 1.4 million foreclosure filings in 2013, down 26% from 2012, according to RealtyTrac. This is the lowest number since the housing crisis began in 2007. In the much-watched labor market,…
jeremyJanuary 16, 2014
About that "breather" I mentioned yesterday... Quarterly Earnings reports are starting to come in from some of the DOW heavy hitters and they are better than expected--some for the first time…
jeremyJanuary 15, 2014
Don't be fooled by the Unemployment Rate dropping to 6.7%; 347,000 more workers are NOT officially "unemployed" today merely because they have exited the workforce "permanently". This is a result of retirement…
jeremyJanuary 10, 2014
Winter weather got you feeling down in the dumps? Here are 16 scientifically proven ways to boost your happiness, graphed be effectiveness and effort required. I think that I am…
jeremyJanuary 9, 2014
The ADP Employment Report (which I still don’t really have a lot of confidence in) reported this morning that there were 238,000 new jobs created last month. Economists polled anticipated…
jeremyJanuary 8, 2014
The US Senate confirmed Janet Yellen yesterday as the first woman Chair of the Federal Reserve. Like her predecessor, Ms. Yellen has committed to keep interest rates low for as…
jeremyJanuary 7, 2014
With another short work week and quiet economic reporting, we turn to the prognosticators for a brief outlook of the year ahead. One of my favorites is Standard & Poors. …
jeremyJanuary 3, 2014