Even as angry investors argued about the causes of the credit crisis in its aftermath — was it lax regulation that caused the meltdown or too much government interference with the housing market? — they agreed on at least one point. Credit rating agencies like McGraw-Hill’s ( MHP ) Standard & Poor’s and Moody’s ( MCO ) were responsible for blessing piles of toxic assets with their highest-quality ratings and had horribly disserved investors. Continue reading Booming Bonds Boost the Rating Agencies’ Fortunes, but Not Their Reputations Booming Bonds Boost the Rating Agencies’ Fortunes, but Not Their Reputations originally appeared on DailyFinance on Thu, 04 Feb 2010 16:15:00. Filed Under: Company News , Investing , Earnings , Moody’s Corp. , McGraw-Hill Permalink | Tweet this! | Comments

Continued here: 
Booming Bonds Boost the Rating Agencies’ Fortunes, but Not Their Reputations

It was a year the nation’s builders and realtors would probably prefer to forget: Housing starts fell 4% in December, the U.S. Commerce Department announced Wednesday, ending the worst year for housing in the United States since the end of World War II. Continue reading December Housing Starts Fall 4% in Weak End to Awful Year December Housing Starts Fall 4% in Weak End to Awful Year originally appeared on DailyFinance on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:00:00. Filed Under: Economy Permalink | Tweet this! | Comments

Read more from the original source: 
December Housing Starts Fall 4% in Weak End to Awful Year

In November, I posted on eight economic indicators that would tell us whether the economy was doing better. Since then, I have been working with a colleague to develop a slightly more detailed way to sum up how the economy is doing. Dubbed the Cohan Economic Index (CEI), the measure has risen 13% — from 100 to 113 — since the beginning of January 2009, when Barack Obama took the oath of office. Continue reading By This Measure, The U.S. Economy Gained 13% Since January By This Measure, The U.S. Economy Gained 13% Since January originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 12:00:00. Filed Under: Economy Permalink | Tweet this! | Comments

Original post:
By This Measure, The U.S. Economy Gained 13% Since January

Most real estate experts back the theory that the recent recovery in home sales is primarily due to two factors: mortgage rates that have been hovering around all-time lows and the government’s tax-credit program for first-time home buyers. Also helping but probably less important are the mild economic rebound and steep tumble in house prices. High unemployment and fear that home prices will drop further undercut the positive forces. Continue reading The Problem for Housing in 2010: Rising Mortgage Rates The Problem for Housing in 2010: Rising Mortgage Rates originally appeared on DailyFinance on Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:00:00. Filed Under: Economy , Real Estate Permalink | Tweet this! | Comments

Originally posted here:
The Problem for Housing in 2010: Rising Mortgage Rates

Sales of new homes plunged unexpectedly last month to the lowest level since April, a sign the housing market recovery will be rocky. The Commerce Department says November’s sales fell 11.3 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 355,000 from a downwardly revised 400,000 in October. Economists surveyed by Thomson Reuters had expected a pace of 440,000. Continue reading New-Home Sales Plunge 11.3 Percent in November New-Home Sales Plunge 11.3 Percent in November originally appeared on DailyFinance on Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:21:00. Permalink | Tweet this! | Comments

Original post:
New-Home Sales Plunge 11.3 Percent in November

Filed under: Company News , Economy , Green The seeds of Monsanto Company ( MON ) are everywhere in the typical American diet; in those corn chips, corn flakes and soy milk, yes, but also in the yogurt, hamburger and sausage McMuffin; in the soda, candy bars, barbecue sauce and sandwich bread. A new investigative report by the Associated Press , based on a series of confidential licensing contracts, reveals that not only are Monsanto-patented genes in 95% of the soybeans and 80% of the corn grown in the U.S., but that the company’s control over the seed industry is so ironclad, prices are sure to rise precipitously in the next several years. Continue reading Monsanto’s ever-stronger stranglehold on the seed industry Monsanto’s ever-stronger stranglehold on the seed industry originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

More here:
Monsanto’s ever-stronger stranglehold on the seed industry

Filed under: Economy The National Association of Home Builders said Tuesday its Housing Market Index fell again in December to 16, from November’s reading of 17 — the index’s lowest level since June. According to a Bloomberg News survey, economists had expected the index to rise to 18 in December. The index was at 20 in October, after hitting a cycle low of eight in January. The NAHB Housing Market Index measures builder perceptions of current single-family sales conditions, sales expectations for the next six months, and the traffic of prospective buyers. Readings over 50 indicate that more builders view sales conditions as good than poor. Continue reading Home builder confidence index falls to lowest level since June Home builder confidence index falls to lowest level since June originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

Go here to see the original:
Home builder confidence index falls to lowest level since June

Filed under: Economy The nearly year-long positive trend in the U.S. housing sector is continuing. Existing home sales surged 10.1% in October to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.1 million units, the National Association of Realtors announced Monday. That’s the highest level for existing home sales in more than two years. The consensus of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News had been for October existing home sales to come in at a 5.7 million unit annualized rate. The annualized existing sales number for September was revised to a 5.54 million units, and for August to 5.1 million units. Existing home sales are also up 23.5% in the past 12 months. Continue reading Existing home sales jump 10.1% in October Existing home sales jump 10.1% in October originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 23 Nov 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

Read more from the original source: 
Existing home sales jump 10.1% in October

Filed under: Company News , Earnings , Home Depot , Lowe’s Companies, Inc It looks like the weak housing market will keep hammering home improvement retailers for a while. Even while reporting earnings that beat Wall Street’s expectations, Home Depot ( HD ) warned that it sees no short-term improvement in the housing market to boost its sales in the near future. The largest home improvement retailer reported net income in the third quarter dropped 8.9% below the same time last year to $689 million, or 41 cents per share, which beat Wall Street’s estimate by a nickel. Sales were down 8% and comparable sales were down 6.9%, led by a 7.1% drop in U.S. stores. Continue reading Home Depot beats expectations in 3Q, but keeps its sights low for now Home Depot beats expectations in 3Q, but keeps its sights low for now originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

More here:
Home Depot beats expectations in 3Q, but keeps its sights low for now

Filed under: Company News , Economy , Investing , Home Depot , Exxon Mobil , Berkshire Hathaway , Wal-Mart Stores , Target Corp. , TJX , Time Warner , Saks , Palm , Travelers Home Depot ( HD ) said Tuesday that its third-quarter earnings fell 8.9% to $689 million, or 41 cents per share, as the housing and renovation markets remained weak. Revenue fell 8% to $16.36 billion. Same-store sales dropped 6.9%. Results beat estimates of 36 cents per share on revenue of $16.27 billion. The company also raised its full-year earnings outlook. Shares declined over 2% ahead of the bell. Applied Materials Inc. ( AMAT ) said Tuesday that it will buy Semitool Inc. ( SMTL ) for $11 a share in an all-cash tender offer. The aggregate purchase price is about $364 million. Semitool shares, which closed Monday 10% higher at $8.4, shot up 30% in premarket trading to $10.94 at last check. Lazard Ltd. ( LAZ ) announced Monday it has appointed Kenneth M. Jacobs, 51, as chairman of the board of directors and CEO, effective immediately. Jacobs replaces Bruce Wasserstein, who died on Oct. 14. Continue reading Stocks in the news: Home Depot, Target, Exxon Mobil Stocks in the news: Home Depot, Target, Exxon Mobil originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink | Email this | Comments

Here is the original:
Stocks in the news: Home Depot, Target, Exxon Mobil