tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:45:44 +0000Investment SecuritiesLeading Economic IndicatorsHealth CareEconomic HealthConsumer PricesStock MarketCurrencyFederal BudgetHousing CrisisOil PriceLoanRetail SalesBond MarketMortgageConsumer-ConfidenceFinancial CrisisInterest RateUnemploymenteconomic indicators, stock market report &amp; investment news for investorshttp://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)Blogger123125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-6622966558699394610Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:05:00 +00002012-01-27T19:45:44.438-05:00Economic HealthU.S. Economic Recovery Slowly Gained Momentum in Late 2011 Preliminary government estimates that the U.S. economy grew 2.8% in the final three months of 2011, propelled by increases in consumer spending and business inventories. The pace of growth was faster than in the third quarter, when gross domestic product expanded at an annual rate of 1.8 percent. The increase in gross domestic product http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/Bnb4hiuVEgA/preliminary-estimate-us-gdp-grows-28-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/Bnb4hiuVEgA" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2012/01/preliminary-estimate-us-gdp-grows-28-in.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-6141328693479824263Wed, 25 Jan 2012 22:33:00 +00002012-01-26T13:39:04.440-05:00UnemploymentEconomic HealthInterest RateThe Federal Reserve, declaring that the economy would need help for years to come, said Wednesday it would extend by 18 months the period that it plans to hold down interest rates in an effort to stimulate growth. The Fed planned to keep short-term interest rates near zero until late 2014, continuing the transformation of a policy that began in the winter of 2008 into a six-year campaign to http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/Ft1JPQl8yYc/fed-signals-to-keep-rates-near-zero.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/Ft1JPQl8yYc" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2012/01/fed-signals-to-keep-rates-near-zero.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-6982669958586397871Mon, 16 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +00002012-01-26T13:39:59.062-05:00Economic HealthBond MarketInterest Rate Standard & Poor's decision to strip France of its AAA credit rating and downgrade eight other Euro zone countries slammed a continent struggling with a debt crisis and an economic slowdown. Here is the map of countries affected by the S&P ratings downgraded on Jan. 13. The downgraded ratings range from AA+ for France & Austria to BB for Portugal. Standard and Poor's Credit Rating http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/U8Jo0WRh5LI/map-of-s-downgraded-ratings-for-9.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/U8Jo0WRh5LI" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2012/01/map-of-s-downgraded-ratings-for-9.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-5539853774656676014Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:13:00 +00002012-01-26T13:40:38.802-05:00Bond Market Standard & Poor’s downgraded the debt ratings of France, Italy and seven other European countries on Friday. The action may have more symbolic than fundamental financial impact but served as a reminder that Europe’s economic woes were far from over. The downgrades may also be a blow to the euro zone’s ability to fight off a worsening debt crisis. S&P ended France and Austria's AAA status and http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/_iE7MzdXN8Y/credit-ratings-cut-for-9-euro-zone.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/_iE7MzdXN8Y" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2012/01/credit-ratings-cut-for-9-euro-zone.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-899787959024153967Wed, 11 Jan 2012 22:19:00 +00002012-01-11T19:21:00.821-05:00Bond MarketInterest RateA new landmark was set Wednesday for U.S. Treasury bond supply. The Treasury Department sold $21 billion, 10-year notes at a yield of 1.90%, the lowest level ever at auction. The auctioned yield is the rate the U.S. government pays to borrow cash in capital markets. The Treasury received bids totaling $69.04 billion and accepted $21.00 billion. Primary dealers were awarded $9.29 billion, while http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/n3a8UrI4lSE/us-sells-10-year-notes-at-record-lowest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/n3a8UrI4lSE" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2012/01/us-sells-10-year-notes-at-record-lowest.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-2792868260109437512Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:00:00 +00002012-01-11T09:00:13.443-05:00MortgageBond MarketInterest RateThe central bank transferred $76.9 billion in earnings to the U.S. Treasury during 2011. The transfer is slightly less than the record $79.3 billion transferred in 2010. The Federal Reserve said it earned $83.6 billion in interest income from its massive portfolio of securities, which includes Treasury debt and mortgage securities. The Fed has been buying assets as part of a quantitative-easing http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/HegZEhkQEHc/central-bank-supplied-769-billion-to.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/HegZEhkQEHc" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2012/01/central-bank-supplied-769-billion-to.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-1392256102790828045Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:50:00 +00002012-01-10T12:50:38.730-05:00UnemploymentThe unemployment rate is at its lowest level in nearly three years thank to hiring boost in December. The Labor Department says employers added a net 200,000 jobs last month and the unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent, the lowest since February 2009. The rate has dropped for four straight months. The drop in unemployment rate gave the economy a boost at the end of 2011. For all of 2011, the http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/iNRai8db_EU/unemployment-drops-to-85-percent-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/iNRai8db_EU" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2012/01/unemployment-drops-to-85-percent-in.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-8784942037799514493Fri, 30 Dec 2011 23:08:00 +00002012-01-19T20:16:37.164-05:00Stock MarketThe U.S. stock market just ended the year almost unchanged. On the final trading day, Friday, Dec. 30, 2011, the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index closed at 1,257.60 with a 0.4 percent loss for the day. The S&P 500, a benchmark index for the U.S. broad equity market, statistically unchanged for the year, from 1,257.64 on Dec. 31, 2010 to 1,257.60 on Dec. 30, 2011, which is just 4 ticks differencehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/R0q_bCMBJS8/us-equity-market-ended-year-unchanged.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/R0q_bCMBJS8" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2011/12/us-equity-market-ended-year-unchanged.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-5627953423666294940Sun, 25 Dec 2011 04:23:00 +00002011-12-24T23:45:58.809-05:00Consumer PricesUnemploymentEconomic HealthThe U.S. economy grew more slowly in the summer than previously thought because consumers spent less than the government had first estimated. The Commerce Department says the economy grew at an annual rate of 1.8 percent in the July-September quarter. That was the fastest growth this year, up from 1.3 percent in the April-June quarter. But it was down slightly from last month's estimate that the http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/QsuaE3GIqZQ/fundamental-economic-indicators-3q-2011.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/QsuaE3GIqZQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2011/12/fundamental-economic-indicators-3q-2011.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-6940674994802862068Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:33:00 +00002011-12-30T15:37:39.615-05:00LoanU.S. bank credit is growing at the fastest pace in three years, giving the Fed confidence in the economic expansion’s staying power. Until the second quarter, the banks had been more interested in shoring up their balance sheets than lending since the start of the financial crisis. Banks raised their levels of equity capital after the U.S. Federal Reserve 2009 stress tests revealed weakness in http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/iY0epX24U94/credit-is-easing-loans-rose-10-in-q3.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/iY0epX24U94" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2011/12/credit-is-easing-loans-rose-10-in-q3.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-3179149893556375054Thu, 04 Nov 2010 23:58:00 +00002011-12-24T13:30:49.281-05:00CurrencyStock MarketEconomic HealthBond MarketThe U.S. stock markets surged to two-year high Thursday, Nov. 4, a day after the Federal Reserve’s decision to buy more government securities to stimulate the economy. the Dow was up 1.96 percent, at 11,437.84, while the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index rose 1.93 percent, to 1,221.06. Wednesday’s reaction to the Fed announcement was muted, although it was enough to send the Dow up 26.41 points http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/UW7Xwowz13w/fed-decision-hailed-by-investors.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/UW7Xwowz13w" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2010/11/fed-decision-hailed-by-investors.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-8870520875394743091Thu, 21 Oct 2010 17:42:00 +00002011-12-24T15:45:25.476-05:00CurrencyThe abrupt decline in the dollar, by about 10 percent since early June against major currencies, is upsetting the delicate balance of world economies still recovering from the shocks of the financial crisis. Many other currencies, especially in Asia and in emerging markets like Brazil, are soaring as a result of the dollar’s fall. Those nations’ domestic economies are attracting floods of http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/l2_0eNgVRKY/abrupt-drop-in-dollar.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/l2_0eNgVRKY" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2010/10/abrupt-drop-in-dollar.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-933977795882546468Mon, 20 Sep 2010 16:22:00 +00002010-09-20T12:25:25.930-04:00Economic HealthThe recession officially ended in June 2009, according to the Business Cycle Dating Committee of the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER), a group charged with determining when recessions officially begin and end.This official end date makes the most recent downturn the longest since World War II. This recent recession, having begun in December 2007, lasted 18 months. Until now the longesthttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/tsLRSn9XK2o/us-recession-officially-ended-in-june.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/tsLRSn9XK2o" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2010/09/us-recession-officially-ended-in-june.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-6541248767192452008Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:30:00 +00002011-12-24T17:33:29.818-05:00Consumer PricesUnemploymentEconomic HealthMajor economic indicators that are widely followed by investors include gross domestic product (GDP), consumer price index (CPI), and unemployment rate, according SmartInMoney.com. Gross Domestic Product: Gauging the economic health Gross domestic product, commonly referred to as GDP, is commonly used as an indicator of the economic health of a country, as well as to gauge a country's standardhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/QbH9bfAFG8g/widely-followed-economic-indicators.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/QbH9bfAFG8g" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2010/07/widely-followed-economic-indicators.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-9181655164396774214Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:29:00 +00002010-06-25T10:30:34.754-04:00Consumer-ConfidenceU.S. consumer sentiment was the most optimistic in more than two years in June, but remained far below average level, according to a survey released Friday by Reuters and the University of Michigan. The UMich index rose to 76.0 in late June, up from 73.6 in May and 75.5 in mid-June. The average level of the index is around 87. Consumers expect a very slow pace of economic growth, the survey said. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/Yj1CGU5-rno/us-consumer-sentiment-at-two-year-high.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/Yj1CGU5-rno" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2010/06/us-consumer-sentiment-at-two-year-high.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-6203141824641744564Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:16:00 +00002011-12-24T17:35:59.804-05:00Economic HealthThe U.S. economy continued to grow in the first quarter. National output expanded at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.2 percent last quarter, after growing 5.6 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009. This marked the third quarter in a row the economy showed strong economic growth. Economists are optimistic that the news may breed more confidence about the future turnaround. Increased http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/JOHWKZOXBZw/us-economy-expanded-at-32-in-first.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/JOHWKZOXBZw" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2010/04/us-economy-expanded-at-32-in-first.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-7740213759637147978Fri, 16 Apr 2010 18:08:00 +00002011-12-24T17:36:56.210-05:00Stock MarketThe Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a case to sue Goldman Sachs and one of its employees for civil fraud, alleging they defrauded investors in selling a financial product tied to subprime mortgages, in 2007. The SEC's allegation focuses on a mortgage securities transaction structured by Goldman, for which it allegedly earned $15 million in fees. Goldman allegedly helped hedge fundhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/R2ApBg61uzE/sec-charges-goldman-sachs-defrauded.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/R2ApBg61uzE" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2010/04/sec-charges-goldman-sachs-defrauded.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-934574945055693684Sat, 03 Apr 2010 18:27:00 +00002010-04-04T14:33:00.458-04:00UnemploymentPayrolls surge in March marked the beginning of job recovery as employers added 162,000 nonfarm jobs. This good news came from the Labor Department reported on Friday, after eight million jobs lost since the beginning of recession in December 2007. To absorb only new entrants into the labor market the economy needs to add more than 100,000 jobs a month.While the unemployment rate held steady at http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/imzqKGPgbpM/economy-added-new-jobs-in-march.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/imzqKGPgbpM" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2010/04/economy-added-new-jobs-in-march.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-8718856188257526942Sun, 28 Mar 2010 02:44:00 +00002010-03-28T22:47:08.866-04:00CurrencyThe euro came under more pressure after Fitch, a credit-ratings agency, downgraded its assessment of Portugal’s debt. Meanwhile, Greece got a little bit of good news as the European Central Bank signalled that it would keep its collateral standards relaxed beyond 2010, making Greek bonds less unattractive. http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/VFT8VwOONGo/euro-came-under-more-pressure.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/VFT8VwOONGo" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2010/03/euro-came-under-more-pressure.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-3693775408696896038Fri, 26 Feb 2010 23:04:00 +00002010-07-10T13:56:31.548-04:00Economic HealthThe economy grew at a faster pace than initially thought at the end of 2009. It grew at a 5.9% annual rate in Q4, up from the Commerce Department's initial reading of 5.7% and the fastest pace in six years.The better-than-expected Q4 growth figure came as companies cut inventories at a slower pace, accounting for 3.9 percentage points of the 5.9% growth figure. Business investment also rose at a http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/WmOm9FTcIYc/revised-gdp-showed-faster-growth-in-q4.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/WmOm9FTcIYc" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2010/02/revised-gdp-showed-faster-growth-in-q4.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-7606878087687604435Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:16:00 +00002010-02-20T17:20:56.207-05:00Interest RateThe Federal Reserve surprisingly raised its discount rate by a quarter of a percentage point, to 0.75 percent from 0.50 percent, effective Friday, after holding interest rates to extraordinary lows for more than a year. The Federal Reserve discount rate is the interest rate it charges on short-term loans made to banks as a backup source of financing.It was a clear sign that the era of http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/dHS6y5sqwJw/fed-raised-discount-rate-to-075-percent.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/dHS6y5sqwJw" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2010/02/fed-raised-discount-rate-to-075-percent.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-65421057563218907Fri, 05 Feb 2010 21:05:00 +00002010-02-06T16:12:56.979-05:00UnemploymentThe U.S. economy lost 20,000 net jobs during January, while the unemployment rate dipped to 9.7 percent in the month, from 10 percent in December, the government reported Friday.The slowing pace of job loss provided signs that the economy was recovering after the longest recession since the Great Depression.While construction companies and state and local governments cut back, manufacturing addedhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/YcBfnefMhAg/unemployment-rate-dipped-to-97-percent.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/YcBfnefMhAg" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2010/02/unemployment-rate-dipped-to-97-percent.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-3074095523573407337Mon, 01 Feb 2010 02:47:00 +00002010-07-10T13:56:31.550-04:00Economic HealthU.S. broadest measure of economic activity, gross domestic product, expanded at an annual rate of 5.7 percent in the fourth quarter, after a 2.2 percent increase the previous quarter. The growth rate was the fastest since the third quarter of 2003, when the economy grew at a rate of 6.9 percent.Even though the fourth-quarter surge, the economy finished 2009 with its biggest contraction since 1946http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/YnCBG2vWLCs/economy-expanded-57-percent-in-4q.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/YnCBG2vWLCs" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2010/01/economy-expanded-57-percent-in-4q.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-7481478172940652818Fri, 15 Jan 2010 17:17:00 +00002010-01-15T12:18:54.513-05:00Consumer PricesInflation appears to be largely in check even as interest rates in the United States remain near zero and the government pumps billions into the economy. The consumer price index (CPI), a broad gauge of inflation, increased 0.1 percent in December, down from a 0.4 percent advance in November. This is the lowest rate since July.The core CPI, which excludes food and energy costs, also rose 0.1 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/a97MW-orHws/meager-rise-in-december-us-inflation.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/a97MW-orHws" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2010/01/meager-rise-in-december-us-inflation.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-6230109519137007608Sat, 09 Jan 2010 02:44:00 +00002010-01-08T21:56:47.506-05:00Stock MarketU.S. stocks finished the first trading week of the year on a high note, with the major indexes all turning higher late in Friday's session. A disappointing employment report had weighed on stocks throughout the Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose to 10,618.19, giving it a weekly rise of 1.8 percent, while the S&P 500 climbed to 1,144.98, up 2.7 percent for the week. The small cap index,http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/rc5Iz9aRGAs/us-stocks-ended-first-trading-week-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/rc5Iz9aRGAs" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2010/01/us-stocks-ended-first-trading-week-of.html