housing market

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Housing Woes May Take Toll on GOP
Housing Woes May Take Toll
on GOP
Nov 6, 2007 3:05 PM CST

Housing Woes May Take Toll on GOP

As foreclosures mount in exurbs, Republican voters shift allegiances

(Newser) - Having played a central role in the GOP’s 2004 organizing success, America's exurbs are swinging to the left as a result of the housing crunch, the LA Times reports. With sliding home prices and soaring foreclosure rates, voters in high-growth counties across the country are growing anxious and turning...

Calif. Budget Falls Prey to Housing Crisis

Governator orders across-the-board cuts as deficit nears $10B

(Newser) - With the housing crisis laying waste to California’s coffers, Arnold Schwarzenegger yesterday ordered all state agencies to cut budgets by 10%, the LA Times reports. “We are among a handful of states that has a lot of exposure to the housing crash,” said an economist. Property, sales,...

Jobs Get Surprise October Bump
Jobs Get Surprise October Bump
Nov 2, 2007 10:25 AM CDT

Jobs Get Surprise October Bump

Good news is new reason for Fed to hold interest rates

(Newser) - Job growth in October was unexpectedly robust, with the addition of 166,000 jobs doubling projections and easing recession fears. Analysts had predicted an increase of only 85,000 jobs; one economist said the surprise figure “will increase the Fed's conviction that it should keep rates unchanged” for months...

US New-Home Sales Rebound in September

(Newser) - In the face of dismal August numbers, sales of new homes in September increased 4.8%, driven by demand in the western US, the Wall Street Journal reports. Despite the unexpected bump, the updated August figures, which reflect an 11-year low, are fueling worries the economy will remain pinned under...

Existing-Home Sales Plummet Past Predictions

(Newser) - The housing market absorbed more bad news today. Existing-home sales dropped 8% in September, hitting their lowest level since at least 1999, as tighter credit standards kept buyers away. The 5.04 million annual rate was far below projections, bolstering predictions of another rate cut by the Fed next week....

Top Chicago Homebuilder Goes Bankrupt

Neumann becomes second largest builder to fall in subprime collapse

(Newser) - Neumann homes, a top Chicago homebuilder, will file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the Chicago Tribune reports, making it the second-largest builder felled by the dive in the housing market. The company has laid off all but 20 of its 110 workers. “I’m not overly optimistic about the...

Subprime Loans Went to Rich as Well as Poor

High-rate mortgages accounted for 29% of all home loans last year

(Newser) - Crunching the numbers on 130 million home loans over the past decade, the Wall Street Journal finds that risky, high-interest loans were extended far beyond the low-income urban borrowers they are usually associated with. Last year, they accounted for 29% of all home loans, up from 16% in 2004. As...

Dow Dips on Monday Overreach
Dow Dips on Monday Overreach
Oct 2, 2007 3:53 PM CDT

Dow Dips on Monday Overreach

A rough housing report doesn’t help

(Newser) - The market was mostly down today, after investors corrected for yesterday’s record-breaking spike, and a new drop in a home-sales index stirred mortgage anxieties. The Dow dipped 40.24 points to 14,047.31, with one strategist telling MarketWatch, “The fundamental news didn’t warrant the rally.”...

Florida Growth Runs Out of Gas
Florida Growth Runs Out of Gas
Sep 29, 2007 9:41 PM CDT

Florida Growth Runs Out of Gas

Long-time fastest-growing state hits the brakes

(Newser) - Americans’ 80-year love affair with Florida is on the rocks, says the Wall Street Journal. With housing prices up 64% compared with five years ago and property taxes skyrocketing, the magnetic effect of the long-time fastest-growing state is weakening. “I thought it would be like a vacation," said...

Where to Find Housing Bargains
Where to Find Housing Bargains
Sep 26, 2007 1:48 PM CDT

Where to Find Housing Bargains

Where to look to make sure your next home is a solid asset—and where not to

(Newser) - Taking into account current affordability, projected growth, and employment opportunities, BusinessWeek pick the best and worst prospects for bargains in the US housing market. The best, in alphabetical order:
  1. Austin-Round Rock, Texas
  2. Baton Rouge, La.
  3. Birmingham-Hoover, Ala.

Home Sales Sink to 5-Year Low
Home Sales Sink to 5-Year Low
Sep 25, 2007 12:52 PM CDT

Home Sales Sink to 5-Year Low

Stats at 5-year low due to credit crunch

(Newser) - Sales of previously owned US homes fell 4.3% in August, marking a 5-year low point and continuing the housing swoon growing out of the credit crisis. Although the drop was slightly less than expected, borrowing costs have risen and mortgage qualification has gotten harder, so demand is down and...

Largest US Homebuilder Posts Biggest Losses Ever

Lennar stock drops after worse-than-expected earnings report

(Newser) - The atrophied housing market has sent America’s largest homebuilder into even more of tailspin than expected. Lennar announced today it lost $513.9 million last quarter, or $3.25 per share—the worst losses in its 53-year history. Lennar says home discounting and the dismal mortgage situation will force...

Stocks Keep Up Rate-Cut Rally
Stocks Keep Up Rate-Cut Rally
Sep 19, 2007 3:39 PM CDT

Stocks Keep Up Rate-Cut Rally

iPhone sales spur market on

(Newser) - The stock market kept rising one day after the Fed slashed key interest rates, as speculation that the housing slump might ebb compounded the biggest rally in four years. The Dow climbed 76.17 to 13815.56, while the Nasdaq rose 14.82 to close at 2666.48 and the...

What Inflation? Consumer Prices Fall 0.1%

Fed's rate cut looks good as housing, gas prices hit books

(Newser) - Ben Bernanke is likely patting himself on the back right now, Bloomberg reports. US consumer prices fell 0.1% in August, the first decline this year, making Federal Reserve chairman’s rate cut look good, with inflation potentially under control. “Core inflation has now been falling for nearly a...

Stocks Soar on Fed Surprise
Stocks Soar on Fed Surprise
Sep 18, 2007 3:29 PM CDT

Stocks Soar on Fed Surprise

Financial shares enjoy particular surge

(Newser) - The markets responded with a roar to the Fed’s surprisingly deep rate cut today, with financial shares enjoying the biggest spike. The Dow climbed a whopping 324.10 points to 13,727.52, the Nasdaq rose 64.38 to 2,646.23, and the S&P closed at 1518....

Home Foreclosures Hit Record
Home Foreclosures Hit Record
Sep 18, 2007 12:14 PM CDT

Home Foreclosures Hit Record

August numbers double, with no end in sight

(Newser) - Another 108,716 American homeowners received foreclosure notices in August, a record total more than double last year’s figure. And this is only the beginning, say analysts, who expect even more subprime borrowers to default over the next 2 years. That will further depress housing prices, which are expected...

August Retail Sales Fail to Meet Forecasts

Gain of .3% drops to .4% loss if auto sales are excluded

(Newser) - Retail sales were up last month, but the .3% rise failed to meet expectations, and if automobile sales are excluded, sales actually fell by .4%—the steepest drop in a year. The August sales figures provide more fodder for an interest-rate cut when the Fed meets next week. “The...

Demand for Mortgages Rises as Rates Fall

Interest charge lowest since May, with Fed likely to cut further

(Newser) - Applications for home loans increased for the second week in a row as interest rates on both fixed and adjustable-rate mortgages fell, according to a survey by the Mortgage Banker's Association. Indices tracking applications for both purchases and refinancing showed a 5.5% increase over last week and a 12....

Trade Gap Dips to Lowest Level in 3 Years

Weak dollar, stronger world economies fuel rise in US exports

(Newser) - The US trade gap—the difference in total value between imports and exports—dropped to a 3-year low in July as exports jumped on a weak dollar and growing overseas demand. The figure fell 0.3% to $59.2 billion, roughly on par with the estimate economists surveyed by Bloomberg...

Midwest Jobs Take a Beating
Midwest Jobs Take a Beating
Sep 10, 2007 9:35 AM CDT

Midwest Jobs Take a Beating

Housing slump and auto woes hit the region hard

(Newser) - Jobs in the Midwest have taken a one-two punch from the national housing slump and the flagging Detroit auto industry, the Wall Street Journal reports. Factories that make the materials used to build new homes in high-flying markets from California to Florida are starting to downsize, following huge layoffs by...

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