tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771Sat, 19 Dec 2009 12:30:14 +0000myvoiceoflifeeconomic watch for investorshttp://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)Blogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-7542889042936494935Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:24:00 +00002009-12-04T21:29:44.623-05:00UnemploymentSurprising Positive Jobs Report in OctoberSurprising job market improvement adds confidence on the economic recovery. The U.S. unemployment rate went down to 10 percent from a 26-year high of 10.2 percent while only 11,000 jobs disappeared in October. This is the best economic news since the recession began two years agoAlthough 15.4 million people are struggling to find work, the November report revealed signs of improvement across the http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/gMT_EgiFXnw/surprising-positive-jobs-report-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/gMT_EgiFXnw" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/12/surprising-positive-jobs-report-in.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-1664882269921892588Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:00:00 +00002009-11-24T21:06:26.655-05:00Business CycleThird-Quarter U.S. Economic Growth Revised LowerThe U.S. economy grew at slower pace in the third quarter than initially reported as weak consumer spending and rising imports softened the effect of stimulus efforts. The revised numbers suggested that growth going forward would be slow.The nation’s gross domestic product rose at an annual rate of 2.8 percent in the third quarter, compared with a contraction of 0.7% in the prior quarter, the http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/y8Gd6DM-OmQ/third-quarter-us-economic-growth.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/y8Gd6DM-OmQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/11/third-quarter-us-economic-growth.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-5505487552052876360Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:34:00 +00002009-11-20T11:37:08.465-05:00Housing CrisisRecord High of U.S. Mortgage Delinquencies in Third QuarterMore homeowners than ever are having trouble making their monthly mortgage payments, according to figures released Thursday. The figures underlined the level of stress on a large segment of the country, a situation that could put out the modest recovery in home prices over the last few months and impede any economic rebound.The overall third-quarter delinquency rate is the highest since the http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/xX1wxtDDPs4/record-high-of-us-mortgage.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/xX1wxtDDPs4" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/11/record-high-of-us-mortgage.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-957968799991163305Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:18:00 +00002009-11-19T11:19:28.667-05:00Leading Economic IndicatorsU.S. leading indicators rose for 7th consecutive in OctU.S. leading economic indicators index rose for the seventh consecutive month in October, signaling the U.S. recovery is in place. The leading indicators rose 0.3% in October after an un-revised 1% gain in September, the Conference Board reported Thursday. Six of the 10 indicators were positive. The index is up at a 10.2% annual pace in the last six months. The index of coincident indicators was http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/CEleUhBLn9A/us-leading-indicators-rose-for-7th.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/CEleUhBLn9A" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/11/us-leading-indicators-rose-for-7th.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-2068729201385264128Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:07:00 +00002009-11-06T20:17:39.451-05:00UnemploymentU.S. Unemployment Rate Hits 26 Year High in OctoberThe U.S. unemployment surged to hit its highest level in more than 26 years as employers cut more jobs in October. The unemployment rate rose by 0.4 percentage point to 10.2%, a sign the labor market continues to struggle as the economy emerges from its deep recession. The unemployment rate of 10.2% was the highest since April 1983.The economy lost another 190,000 in October, bringing to total http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/aEdunM1LSlU/us-unemployment-rate-hits-26-year-high.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/aEdunM1LSlU" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/11/us-unemployment-rate-hits-26-year-high.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-7245928431386907688Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:13:00 +00002009-10-29T20:15:32.413-04:00Business CycleU.S. GDP finally expanded in third quarterThe United States GDP grew in the third quarter ended in September, the first time its economy has expanded in more than a year. The economy expanded at a 3.5% seasonally adjusted annual rate, ending the longest contraction since World War II. The economy had been falling for four straight quarters, bottoming with a 6.4 percent decline in the first three months of this year, the steepest http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/D7PmPQE6uOY/us-gdp-finally-expanded-in-third.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/D7PmPQE6uOY" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/10/us-gdp-finally-expanded-in-third.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-2836406921570824311Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:37:00 +00002009-10-27T15:38:51.968-04:00Housing CrisisHome prices continued to riseThe prices of U.S. homes in 20 metropolitan cities continued to rise for the fourth-straight month in August, according to the Case-Shiller home price index. The home price stabilization added to signs of housing market improvement and economic stability in the United States.In August the price index climbed by a seasonally adjusted 1% compared with July. Prices rose in 17 of 20 cities. In the http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/WNjCxMrkvPc/home-prices-continued-to-rise.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/WNjCxMrkvPc" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/10/home-prices-continued-to-rise.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-780490392516694968Thu, 15 Oct 2009 14:05:00 +00002009-10-15T10:06:29.052-04:00Stock MarketConfidence returned, Dow reclaimed 10,000 markU.S. stocks soared higher sparked by earnings news on Wednesday, Oct. 14, pushing the Dow Jones Industrial Average to close above 10,000 for the first time in more than year. The sharp rally signaled investors' confidence that the economy is recovering from the financial crisis and recession.SmartInMoney reported that the Dow finished up 144.90 points, or 1.5%, to close at 10,015.86, its highest http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/bE_UMzd5mWU/confidence-returned-dow-reclaimed-10000.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/bE_UMzd5mWU" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/10/confidence-returned-dow-reclaimed-10000.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-9067085071648737930Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:20:00 +00002009-10-13T16:27:13.835-04:00Health CareSenate committee approved health care billThe Senate Finance Committee voted on Tuesday to approve legislation that would reshape the American health care system and provide subsidies to help millions of people buy insurance. The vote was 14 to 9, with all of the other Republicans opposed. Senator Olympia J. Snowe, Republican of Maine, joined all 13 Democrats on the panel in support of the landmark bill.Health care legislation is http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/HktQcYTk5m0/senate-committee-approved-health-care.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/HktQcYTk5m0" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/10/senate-committee-approved-health-care.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-4085685860622319478Fri, 02 Oct 2009 21:01:00 +00002009-10-02T23:12:08.066-04:00UnemploymentA 26-Year High Unemployment Undermines RecoveryThe economy shed another 263,000 jobs in September and the unemployment rate rose to a 26-year high of 9.8% with 15.1 million people unemployed. The unemployment rate edged up from 9.7 percent in August, according to the Labor Department, and continued to inch toward double digits, a level last seen in June 1983.Thought the rate of job loss has tapered off compared to the early months of the yearhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/kv2ld1aphzo/26-year-high-unemployment-undermines.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/kv2ld1aphzo" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/10/26-year-high-unemployment-undermines.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-1788506523218087886Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:29:00 +00002009-09-16T22:36:05.836-04:00Consumer PricesU.S. consumer prices index up in August due to energy pricesU.S. consumer prices index was up 0.4% from July, the Labor Department said Wednesday. The rising gasoline prices by 9.1% pushed overall consumer prices higher in August even as prices for most other goods and services remained in check. Energy prices rose 4.6 percent last month even though they were nearly one-fourth lower than the same period a year ago, when oil prices began to tumble from http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/0WWV-OVHkyk/us-consumer-prices-index-up-in-august.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/0WWV-OVHkyk" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/09/us-consumer-prices-index-up-in-august.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-1059692725633616775Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:34:00 +00002009-09-05T19:42:56.972-04:00UnemploymentUnemployment rate hits a 26-year highThe unemployment rate rose to its highest level since June 1983, but trend of job losses declined in August. The Friday's jobs report showed an improving trend. Employers cut jobs in August at the slowest pace in a year. The Labor Department said nonfarm payrolls shed 216,000 jobs in August, fewer than the 276,000 lost in July. Losses in retail and business services narrowed. The biggest gains http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/EgrwcpBXQ78/unemployment-rate-hits-26-year-high.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/EgrwcpBXQ78" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/09/unemployment-rate-hits-26-year-high.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-5337267678867865736Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:29:00 +00002009-09-05T19:34:36.991-04:00Business CycleIndustry is pulling out of a slumpManufacturing data indicated that the industry was pulling out of a slump. A key measure in the economic activity in the U.S. manufacturing sector expanded in August according to the nation's supply executives in the latest Manufacturing ISM Report on Business released on September 1, 2009. The measure passed the mark at which manufacturing expands (rather than contracts) for the first time in 19http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/YMK1D0UzCek/industry-is-pulling-out-of-slump.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/YMK1D0UzCek" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/09/industry-is-pulling-out-of-slump.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-4080322205211334183Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:07:00 +00002009-07-31T20:13:47.439-04:00Business CycleU.S. recession is near an endThe pace of the American economy decline is waning as the U.S. gross domestic product fell at a seasonally adjusted 1.0% annual rate April through June in the first estimate of second-quarter GDP. It fell 6.4% in the first quarter and 5.4% in the fourth quarter, at the pit of the recession.GDP, a broad gauge of the country’s output, has now fallen four-consecutive quarters, the first time that http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/LA0rGEmfYCo/us-recession-is-near-end.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/LA0rGEmfYCo" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/07/us-recession-is-near-end.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-924980090573682610Wed, 08 Jul 2009 15:23:00 +00002009-07-08T11:32:46.595-04:00Stock MarketInterest RateEquity volatility subsided, interest-rate volatility shot upConfidence in equities is returning, but investors fret of inflationSMARTINMONEY. Equity volatility index (VIX) has slowly subsided and is now down to pre-Lehman levels, a sign that investor confidence is returning. But as volatility has subsided in equities, it has popped up in debts. The implied volatility of interest-rate swap options has shot up in recent months, indicating that investors arehttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/Yq_0rXuUMTY/equity-volatility-subsided-interest.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/Yq_0rXuUMTY" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/07/equity-volatility-subsided-interest.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-6503840249694558417Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:07:00 +00002009-07-03T20:09:36.459-04:00UnemploymentAnother disappointing month for U.S. job marketThe U.S. unemployment rate rose for the ninth straight month, climbing to 9.5% from 9.4%, and hitting another 26-year high in June.The battered labor market took a step backwards last month as employers trimmed more jobs from their payrolls in June. There was a net loss of 467,000 jobs in June, compared with a revised loss of 322,000 jobs in May. This was the first time in four months that the http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/6h25b4SWe1g/another-disappointing-month-for-us-job.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/6h25b4SWe1g" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/07/another-disappointing-month-for-us-job.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-7692502038793786465Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:50:00 +00002009-07-03T19:52:36.439-04:00Housing CrisisBrighter data on American house pricesMany think that the worst is over even though house prices in America were still roughly 18% lower than a year earlier. The latest Case-Shiller indices, released on June 30th, showed that prices continued to fall in April. The ten-city index was 0.7% lower than a month earlier, and the 20-city index went down by 0.6%. But these falls were the smallest since June 2008. The number of foreclosureshttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/6udhrRmRXmY/brighter-data-on-american-house-prices.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)1<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/6udhrRmRXmY" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/07/brighter-data-on-american-house-prices.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-2664687753791188406Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:41:00 +00002009-06-25T10:48:41.782-04:00Business CycleEconomy fell at a little lower rate in 1 QtrThe revised reading on gross domestic product (GDP) showed the economy from January through March didn't fall as deeply as the 5.7 percent annualized decline reported a month ago. Instead, the economy tumbled at a 5.5 percent pace in the first quarter. Real GDP, the measure of the value of goods and services produced in the economy, fell at a 6.3 percent pace in the fourth quarter of 2008.The GDPhttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/cZgBAGYiuPs/economy-fell-at-little-lower-rate-in.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/cZgBAGYiuPs" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/06/economy-fell-at-little-lower-rate-in.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-454679563658233789Tue, 09 Jun 2009 19:18:00 +00002009-06-11T15:25:24.929-04:00UnemploymentU.S. unemployment rate at 26 year highWhile the deterioration pace of payroll loss showed at some improvement in the economy, the U.S. unemployment rate jumped to a 26-year high of 9.4% in May from 8.9% in April. The unemployment rate was the highest level since February 1983.Employers cut 345,000 jobs from their payrolls in the month, down from the revised decline of 504,000 jobs in April. This was the fewest jobs lost in a month http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/QHxGjWOeKJQ/us-unemployment-rate-at-26-year-high.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/QHxGjWOeKJQ" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/06/us-unemployment-rate-at-26-year-high.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-6714386612073385309Mon, 01 Jun 2009 01:15:00 +00002009-06-01T21:19:39.768-04:00Consumer-ConfidenceConsumer confidence returnsA measure of U.S. consumer confidence recorded its biggest jump since April 2003. The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index shot up to 54.9 in May from 40.8 in April despite plunging home prices and raging unemployment.The survey found fewer Americans, 44.7%, reporting that jobs were “hard to get” than in previous months. However, only 5.5% said they intended to buy a car and 2.3% planned tohttp://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/1OpFpxXE76Y/consumer-confidence-returns.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/1OpFpxXE76Y" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/05/consumer-confidence-returns.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-1979790512642922868Fri, 29 May 2009 01:35:00 +00002009-06-01T21:52:42.753-04:00Oil PriceCrude oil price is getting hotterOil surged past $60 a barrel in May to a fresh six-month high after OPEC decided to keep output unchanged and government data showed a steep drop in U.S. crude inventories.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/cZvVOD10dqg/crude-oil-price-is-getting-hotter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/cZvVOD10dqg" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/05/crude-oil-price-is-getting-hotter.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-2585763833144418018Fri, 01 May 2009 00:19:00 +00002009-05-01T20:21:26.953-04:00Business CycleU.S. economy shrank at an alarming rateU.S. GDP fell at an annualized rate of 6.1% in the first quarter of this year according to data released on Wednesday April 29th.The world’s largest economy has now contracted for three quarterly periods in a row. The fall was bigger than most had expected, and puts the cumulative shrinkage so far during this recession on a par with those in the downturns of 1973-75 and 1981-82, the worst of the http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/8Uic7dtaDMw/us-economy-shrank-at-alarming-rate.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/8Uic7dtaDMw" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/04/us-economy-shrank-at-alarming-rate.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-5405351871553202109Wed, 15 Apr 2009 18:43:00 +00002009-04-28T14:45:49.581-04:00Consumer PricesUS consumer prices fall for first time since 1955US consumer price index (CPI) slipped 0.4% below its year-earlier level in March and recorded their first 12-month decline in over 50 years, since 1955, with energy prices down 23% over 12 months. The "core" CPI, which excludes food and energy prices, was up 1.8%.Falling prices would make it tougher for borrowers to pay off debt, leading to even more defaults and even tougher lending standards http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/9m1upNjXvdc/us-consumer-prices-fall-for-first-time.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/9m1upNjXvdc" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/04/us-consumer-prices-fall-for-first-time.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-3055810766377172903Fri, 03 Apr 2009 19:35:00 +00002009-04-28T15:36:55.307-04:00UnemploymentUnemployment rate jumps to a 26-year high 8.5%U.S. unemployment rate in March jumped to a 26-year high 8.5% from 8.1% in February, while 663,000 jobs lost in the month, a sign that the recession is getting worse.The total number of jobs lost since the recession began in December 2007 is 5.1 million. Of the 5.1 million jobs lost, 72% have disappeared in only the past six months.http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/bm9L0-6JJgw/unemployment-rate-jumps-to-26-year-high.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/bm9L0-6JJgw" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/04/unemployment-rate-jumps-to-26-year-high.htmltag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2712194066292824771.post-8243365546698609008Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:15:00 +00002009-03-19T16:18:24.488-04:00CurrencyMortgageStock MarketBond MarketInterest RateFinancial CrisisThe Fed pumps $1.2 trillion to the economyThe U.S. central bank would pump $1.2 trillion into economy to combat the worst global slowdown in decades, the Fed announced Wednesday, Mar. 18. The central bank’s plans to buy up to $300 billion long-term government bonds and some $750 billion in mortgage-backed securities, which would help revive the U.S. sagging housing market.The Fed hasn't set out to influence long-term interest rates by http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~3/0LbG3vWIxzc/fed-pumps-12-trillion-to-economy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Peter L.)0<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/myvoiceoflife/~4/0LbG3vWIxzc" height="1" width="1"/>http://myvoiceoflife.blogspot.com/2009/03/fed-pumps-12-trillion-to-economy.html