tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-106420412012-01-17T17:40:37.183-08:00Quarknoreply@blogger.comBlogger4621100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-18744577120238799052012-12-18T09:39:00.000-08:002012-01-16T19:04:39.132-08:00

Ultrashort funds typically own a variety of investment-grade debt from government agencies, corporations and mortgage issuers with an average AA credit-rating. Because these bonds will mature soon, ultrashort funds are less sensitive to interest-rate movements that can badly affect longer-term bondholders. The principal of such funds fluctuate, unlike a money-market fund, but the fluctuations

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-44424258240529794692012-01-15T20:04:00.000-08:002012-01-16T19:02:54.609-08:00

In the jargon of IRS, any rental activity is considered passive. A passive activity is one that involves trade or business in which the tax payer does not materially participate. There are various tests for determining material participation. But the two common ones are: The individual participates in the activity for more than 500 hours during the year; or more than 100 hours during the year and

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-2965942535961890812012-01-08T07:58:00.000-08:002012-01-16T19:01:16.047-08:00

At some point of our life we stop looking too much forward in future -- we have no option, you know. At this point of time you may think of taking advantage of whatever you built up over the years. Reverse mortgage is one such opportunity that one can avail of and utilize as an effective way for retirement income.Reverse Mortgage is a kind of loan that you can get on the equity built up over

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-30858079162732755162012-01-01T19:05:00.000-08:002012-01-16T19:00:36.709-08:00

Today we post contact information and pointer to websites of some usefulorganizations whom you may approach as individual or as a team to getadvice and guidance for financial planning:For information on a variety of money-related topicsAmerican Institute of Certified Public Accountants (800) 862-4272The Financial Planning Association (800) 282-7526International Association of Registered Financial

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-7925134004762945542011-05-27T04:43:00.000-07:002011-05-27T08:20:53.910-07:00

You can take construction loan for building your home from ground up or to perform some major upgrade. Unlike usual mortgage loans, construction loans are treated as story loans, which means that the lender has to know the story behind the planned construction before they issue a loan to you. That is the reason why it's not going to be as standardized as mortgage loans which are underwritten to

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-26219399009292612662011-05-20T06:23:00.000-07:002011-05-27T08:14:43.731-07:00

Well ...you have finished your financial planning and now you also have a legal will and a living will. Great! But not yet! They are not going to let you finish that 'what to do' list. From their bag comes out another estate planning tool -- the so-called ethical will.Lawyers and financial advisers are seeing more and more interest in ethical wills, documents that stipulate the general life

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-5447526575904923852011-05-13T08:10:00.000-07:002011-05-27T08:12:24.863-07:00

Target retirement funds are also known as life-cycle or target maturity funds. The rule is very simple to understand: As an investor approaches retirement, these funds take less risk with stocks and put more money into conservative bonds. In retirement, these funds put most of the money in income-producing bonds. U.S. fund companies like Fidelity Investments, T. Rowe Price Group, the Vanguard

Quarknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-74555960428119938072011-05-06T08:06:00.000-07:002011-05-27T08:09:12.641-07:00

The 40-year mortgage, for years a niche product, is finally set to have a strong presence in the mainstream mortgage market. Forty-year mortgages have lower monthly payments than the well-known 30-year version, although they cost more over the life of the loan because the borrower pays interest for 10 years longer. With the lower monthly payments, they are seen as a tool to allow people to buy

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-65249991162629774902010-11-19T23:37:00.000-08:002010-11-20T07:49:48.917-08:00

Whenever the economy decides to come back, it would bring with it another malice: inflation! Remember that even the stimulus money has its origin in debt ... and someone needs to pay that back some day.Right at this moment I am looking at a bag of beef Jerk which used to be called the One Pounder. A few months ago, it became the 3/4 pounder. Even a child can say that is 25% smaller. The price

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-42991012569851534462010-09-27T17:30:00.000-07:002012-01-17T17:40:37.304-08:00

There was a time when a paycheck quick loans was something an employee got from a boss. Hat in hand, the employee would approach the employer to ask for a paycheck on Monday that wasn’t intended to be paid out until Friday. The scenario was never easy. And today, almost no employer would consider providing such a thing.This is the era of online payday loans, fortunately. Light-years ahead of the

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-87041346778142129972010-06-01T18:59:00.000-07:002011-05-27T08:21:39.888-07:00

Hikes in short term interest rates in recent months have made life tougher for borrowers and spenders but those sitting with cash did enjoy some advantage with a number of banks offering more than 5% interest in savings account or money market funds. Still, if you consider tax on interest income, the fixed income vehicles like CDs, saving accounts and money market funds somehow never look good

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-26816021870869723162010-05-02T09:42:00.000-07:002010-06-03T06:51:59.580-07:00

Whenever the economy decides to come back, it would bring with it another malice: inflation! (Don't you see a glimpse of that in the recent hike in oil price?). Remember that even the stimulus money has its origin in debt ... and someone needs to pay that back some day.Inflation is defined as a sustained rise in the general level of prices of consumer goods and services and is measured by the

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-7867630497966042122009-11-21T05:21:00.000-08:002009-11-28T20:03:43.168-08:00

According to a recent report from Mortgage Bankers' Association, 43 million American households headed by someone 50 or older owned their main residence and 6.6 million homeowners of that age group owned a second home (often located in well-known vacation areas). Although the second-home market is relatively small, within the next 10 years, the number of second homes is expected to grow by 2

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-54257106430552813442009-05-31T09:48:00.000-07:002009-05-31T09:51:37.557-07:00

The worst seems to be over but nobody is not so sure. Many home-owners are still at risk, in particular, with their adjustable-rate mortgages (ARM). Rising interest rates and falling home values are creating an atmosphere of panic among some borrowers who had extended their ability of purchase by selecting such ARM or interest-only mortgages and are now finding their monthly payments at

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-32863632462738660692009-05-17T03:45:00.000-07:002009-05-31T09:41:51.143-07:00

Today we post contact information and pointer to websites of some usefulorganizations whom you may approach as individual or as a team to getadvice and guidance for financial planning:For information on a variety of money-related topicsAmerican Institute of Certified Public Accountants (800) 862-4272The Financial Planning Association (800) 282-7526International Association of Registered Financial

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-26136246225202559942008-11-15T11:13:00.000-08:002008-12-02T19:09:59.461-08:00

Ultrashort funds typically own a variety of investment-grade debt from government agencies, corporations and mortgage issuers with an average AA credit-rating. Because these bonds will mature soon, ultrashort funds are less sensitive to interest-rate movements that can badly affect longer-term bondholders. The principal of such funds fluctuate, unlike a money-market fund, but the fluctuations

Quarknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-43609454396201884742008-10-14T07:27:00.000-07:002008-10-14T07:37:12.728-07:00

Yesterday's rally draws an analogy to the following situation:A hapless Dad borrows money from his friends and enemies and gives that to his spoiled drug-addicted greedy kid to start a new business. That kid's buddies celebrate the occasion by boozing and dancing with dollar-munching naked girls in a night club -- all paid by that kid, of course!Men & Women, beware of the long term danger looming

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-81008922401872528722008-06-24T16:57:00.000-07:002008-06-24T17:19:37.531-07:00

Dividend-seeking Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) gained tremendous popularity after the 2003 federal legislation had slashed the income tax rate to 15% on dividends paid out by corporations. These ETFs were thought to be some kind of dream investment products that invested in solid companies paying dividends and at the same time provided some sort of diversity. Unfortunately, most of them were

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-23351100671017476342008-05-29T20:00:00.000-07:002008-05-29T20:25:26.239-07:00

Following the footsteps of Barclays, State Street and Vanguard Group, the Chicago-based Northern Trust became the latest financial services giant to enter the rapidly growing world of ETF (Exchange Traded Fund).Northern Trust came up with offerings that follow locally recognized indexes for foreign markets such as the U.K, Japan and Germany. Several other funds are in registration, including

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-29362622342638264862008-05-01T20:47:00.000-07:002008-05-01T21:05:54.378-07:00

After about 4 months, Dow Jones Industrial Average reclaimed its territory above the 13000 level. In the mean time, it had fallen to as low as 11,508.74 on January 22nd.Of the Dow's 30 components, 25 posted gains today, with financials and technology stocks leading the charge. The ability to borrow from the Fed is the catalyst which is allowing capital to flow back into financial stocks.But

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-72412847722051293882008-04-17T18:28:00.000-07:002008-04-17T18:36:21.622-07:00

According to Freddie Mac's weekly survey, interest rates for fixed-rate mortgages held relatively steady for the second week in a row, while rates on adjustable-rate mortgages declined. The ARM rates showed downward movement amid market speculation that the Federal Reserve may cut rates again at its upcoming committee meeting scheduled on 29th and 30th of this month.The 30-year fixed-rate

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-89033066346956884592008-04-13T20:22:00.000-07:002008-04-13T21:24:27.431-07:00

Google's (GOOG: Quote & Chart) first-quarter earnings report is due out on this Thursday. And many would try to find the answer to the question: Is this high-flying company faltering in the face of a recession?2007 had been a great year for Google. The year brought a lot of cheer to those analysts who followed the company and, after each crossing of a century mark, issued another price upgrade by

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-42821990848966883842008-04-02T18:04:00.000-07:002008-04-02T18:34:21.569-07:00

Gold had a great run over the last 3 years. Today's asking price is $904.80 an aounce. That is about 112% gain from the level of $426.9 on May 11, 2005 when we advised our readers to accumulate Gold. Consequently, the immensely popular Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), StreetTracks Gold Shares (GLD) , that holds actual gold bars, had made all its buy-and-hold investors happy.However, a fear of downturn

Quarknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-57317277689096811452008-03-27T20:41:00.000-07:002008-03-27T21:14:22.278-07:00

According to Freddie Mac's weekly survey, the average interest rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages dropped slightly this week, while rates on other mortgages rose. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 5.85% for the week ending March 27, down from last week's 5.87% average. The mortgage averaged 6.16% a year ago.But rates on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, a popular choice for refinancing, rose

Quarknoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-61054286443388059132008-03-11T18:35:00.000-07:002008-03-11T18:58:01.804-07:00

In late February, Paoli, PA-based RevenueShares Investor Services LLC launched its first ETFs on NYSE Arca: RevenueShares Large Cap Fund (RWL), RevenueShares Mid Cap Fund (RWK) and RevenueShares Small Cap Fund (RWJ).RevenueShares ETFs are ranking companies by revenue as opposed to capital-weighted indexes, which, by definition, buy stocks that are rising and sell stocks that are falling, and thus

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-54512686795845072462008-02-25T05:45:00.000-08:002008-02-25T06:01:24.092-08:00

Visa, the San Francisco-based credit card company, filed with Security and Exchange Commission Monday to sell its initial public offering (IPO) of 406 million shares to the public at an expected price of $37 to $42 a share. The electronic transaction processor expects to trade under ticker symbol V on the New York Stock Exchange within the next several weeks. The company expects to raise between

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-52627158110168866682008-02-11T06:38:00.000-08:002008-02-11T07:43:24.391-08:00

Today morning, the Dow Jones Indexes announced it is adjusting the components of its benchmark Dow Jones Industrial Average. The index group said the following changes would be effective with the opening of trading on Feb. 19:In :Bank of America Corp. (BAC)Chevron Corp. (CVX)Out:Altria Group, Inc. (MO)Honeywell International, Inc. (HON)Bank of America would be the third bank and fifth financial

Quarknoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-31114211382311453482008-02-08T13:19:00.000-08:002008-02-08T13:37:27.992-08:00

Barclays has announced the launch of 3 new Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs). As we discussed in our past postings, ETNs trade like stocks or Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), but they're debt instruments, meaning that investors are exposing themselves to risk that the issuing bank will go bankrupt. Barclays already had other currency ETNs in its product lines: iPath EUR/USD Exchange Rate ETN (ERO) ,

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-69649683759986176602008-01-31T10:57:00.000-08:002008-02-03T16:15:52.981-08:00

Mortgage rates finally ended their five-week descent following the Fed's decision to cut its federal funds rate by half of a percentage point to 3%, as announced on wednesday. For the sake of record-keeping, we may note that, in eight days, the Fed has cut rates by 1.25 percentage points, the fastest pace in 20 years.After the Fed's move, market rates for 30-year notes and 10-year bonds rose

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-31841125588986877762008-01-24T07:25:00.000-08:002008-01-24T07:39:28.718-08:00

Mortgage rates continued trending down for the fourth consecutive week across loan products. This week mortgage rates fell sharply with long term rates dropping to the lowest level in four years.The main ingredient for this sharp fall has been the cut in the target federal funds rate by three-quarters of a percentage point on Tuesday. It is the largest cut since October 1984, and also the first

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-40249431140825375142008-01-14T08:26:00.001-08:002008-01-14T08:40:14.195-08:00

Fidelity Investments announced today it would reopen the legendary Fidelity Magellan Fund (FMAGX) to new investors for the first time in more than a decade. Performance at the roughly $45 billion fund, which had come under fire for lagging its benchmark, has turned around under manager Harry Lange, who took over in October 2005. Fidelity Magellan Fund has gained 11% over the past 12 months,

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-65770175346274521042008-01-10T10:15:00.000-08:002008-01-10T20:29:53.991-08:00

This week mortgage rates fell sharply with long term rates dropping to the lowest level in more than two years. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to its lowest level since September 20.Increased worries about a recession originating from credit crunch and a severe slump in housing market have also acted behind the fall of the mortgage rate. At the same time, the nation's unemployment rate

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-79036523693803936062007-12-15T11:15:00.000-08:002008-01-14T08:39:56.465-08:00

The Nasdaq Stock Market said late Friday that, as a part of its annual re-ranking of its component stocks, the following 5 stocks are to be removed from the Nasdaq-100 Index effective Monday, Dec 24th. The Nasdaq-100 Index is composed of the 100 largest non-financial stocks on the Nasdaq Stock Market.The removed stocks are (Friday's closing value in parenthesis):LM Ericsson Telephone Company (

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-56127596280764347182007-12-12T19:52:00.000-08:002007-12-13T20:05:13.625-08:00

Three new iShares exchange traded funds (ETFs) began trading on NYSE Arca today. The funds provide investors with an opportunity to participate in global growth prospects and access innovation in developing marketplaces, the company said.iShares MSCI EAFE Small Cap Index Fund (SCZ): Tracks the performance of 40% of the eligible small cap universe in each industry group of the iShares MSCI EAFE

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-6708577766379638102007-12-05T19:58:00.000-08:002007-12-05T20:27:20.732-08:00

FocusShares LLC, a new player in Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) market, listed 4 new ETFs on the NYSE Arca platform :FocusShares ISE-CCM Homeland Security Index Fund (MYP): Companies dealing with security issues and having contracts with the Department of Homeland Security. Expense ratio: 0.60%. This sector is not as hot as it used to be a few years back after 911 but it is the first homeland

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-2097460534086578242007-11-29T21:16:00.000-08:002007-11-29T21:32:06.771-08:00

This week Mortgage rates fell sharply with long term rates dropping to the lowest level in more than two years. The recent volatility and turbulence in stock markets have prompted many investors to rush to the safety of U.S. Treasury securities, driving down the yields on bonds. Increased worries about a recession originating from credit crunch and a severe slump in housing market have also acted

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-84496641272204487082007-11-18T11:37:00.000-08:002007-11-24T12:06:54.472-08:00

Effective Friday, November 16, Barclays Global Investors listed four new exchange traded funds (ETFs) in NASDAQ market, that track real estate investment trusts or REITs:iShares FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Global Real Estate ex-U.S. Index Fund (IFGL)iShares FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Asia Index Fund (IFAS)iShares FTSE EPRA/NAREIT Europe Index Fund (IFEU)iShares FTSE EPRA/NAREIT North America Index Fund (IFNA).

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-30066585292872078032007-11-04T17:23:00.000-08:002007-11-05T18:02:23.063-08:00

Since the drop in global stock markets in mid-August, Indian stocks are soaring high in the midst of a very volatile market. It's rather hard for individual investors who are unfamiliar with Indian conditions and its econo-political scenerios to focus on individual stocks. However, there are 3 funds which may be considered as good vehicles to reach the global investment trend of the 21st century

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-86527655318810983242007-10-15T18:55:00.000-07:002007-10-19T06:24:24.998-07:00

Stock markets in China and India are soaring high every other day. In USA, ADRs (American Depository Receipts) of stocks from these two countries are regularly seeing new highs. We think it's time to sit down quietly and decide whether you would like to be a part of what seems to be a repeat of year 1999, the year of technology stocks, when Fed Chairman uttered those two words 'irrational

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-42706616825044168832007-09-29T23:06:00.000-07:002007-09-29T23:35:58.133-07:00

Since Fed started hiking short term interest rate in mid-2005, customers of some online banks and credit unions have been enjoying increasing yield in their savings and money market accounts while taking the benefit of easy access to liquid cash. Banks like EmigrantDirect, HSBCdirect were offering above 5% yield with no minimum balance requirement. In certain intervals, their rate even touched 6%

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-80383307421236708182007-09-02T21:05:00.000-07:002007-09-02T21:31:32.595-07:00

Municipal bond funds are attractive investment vehicles for high tax bracket investors. These bonds invest in debt issued by cities and other municipalities. They usually offer lower, steady returns, but are tax-free. However, in recent weeks, Muni bond prices have fallen pushing yields higher, as investors moved money into the safer securities, such as short-term Treasury bonds.In the muni-bond

Quarknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-8419234115960668502007-08-23T17:41:00.000-07:002007-08-26T20:59:47.517-07:00

This was the first week after last Friday when the Federal Reserve had its first cut (since June, 2003) in its short term interest rate ... and it seems the mortgage market was quick to response to such a gesture of goodwill from the central bank. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate sank this week to their lowest point since late May.According to Freddie Mac's weekly survey, the 30-year

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-45902662468183904002007-08-13T20:34:00.000-07:002007-08-13T21:37:11.945-07:00

VMware Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the tech giant EMC Corporation and is the leading provider of virtualization solutions. The company supplies proprietary virtualization software for x86-compatible computers, including VMware Workstation and the freeware VMware Server and VMware Player products and has a overall bright prospect of making its mark in Tech world.Tomorrow the Initial

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-54932662869171886272007-08-06T21:00:00.000-07:002007-08-06T21:31:47.426-07:00

Last week, another new ETF started trading in New York Stock Exchange. This time it is designed to invest in companies that provide luxury goods and services. The name is Claymore/Robb Report Global Luxury ETF and the ticker symbol is ROB.Claymore Securities Inc., the sponsor of the new fund launched the product by claiming that the fund would provide access to a growing area of the economy that

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-37617430039241109972007-07-15T08:16:00.000-07:002007-07-15T09:09:54.228-07:00

Things looked great last week. After Thursday's record-setting rally, the major indexes continued to have moderate gains, capping off a three-day bull run. The blue chip index climbed 295 points over the week. Market analysts are crediting a weak dollar for this rally, which is helping U.S. exports by making them cheaper in overseas markets, as well as boosting the overseas profits of

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-54241551538614304182007-06-18T21:09:00.000-07:002007-06-18T21:45:45.195-07:00

For income-seeking investors, high-yield bond mutual-funds could be an attractive option. Such funds deal with corporate debt below investment-grade but these bonds are originated by banks rather than the companies themselves. So, it has less credit risk than junk bond funds but has more risk than a typical corporate investment-grade bond. The lien a bank has takes a higher priority in bankruptcy

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-68039175618304213712007-06-05T21:52:00.000-07:002007-06-05T22:39:58.602-07:00

In mid-December, the State Street Global Advisors (State Street), the investment management arm of State Street Corporation launched the SPDR Dow Jones Wilshire International Real Estate Fund (RWX) on the American Stock Exchange. The ETF was billed to be the first such offering designed to track overseas listed real-estate stocks and is the first ETF to monitor performance of publicly traded

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-43938819521947619922007-05-22T14:43:00.000-07:002007-05-23T18:21:36.111-07:00

Last Thursday we talked about IndyMac Bancorp (IMB) as a good opportunity play. The stock had a value of $31.44.Today IndyMac Bancorp (IMB) closed at 35.09, up by $2.32 or 7.1% on news (that has no direct relation to the company) that iStar Financial Inc. said it would buy the commercial real-estate lending business of Fremont General Corp (FMT) for $1.9 billion in cash. The Fremont stock closed

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-61692627438534038492007-05-21T22:06:00.000-07:002007-05-23T18:19:06.309-07:00

Omnivision Technologies (OVTI) : OmniVision designs, develops and markets high-performance, highly integrated and cost-efficient semiconductor image sensor devices. The Company's main products, image-sensing devices referred to as CameraChip image sensors, capture images electronically and are used in a number of consumer and commercial mass-market products -- most notable among them being camera

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-4074219382411155062007-05-17T21:04:00.000-07:002007-05-23T18:16:25.162-07:00

IndyMac Bankcorp (IMB) : On April 26th, the California mortgage lender IndyMac Bancorp said its first quarter profit fell 34% as mortgage profits took a hit from a shakeout in the subprime lending. IndyMac President Richard Wohl said he expects mortgage-banking revenue to drop at the firm's reverse mortgage unit, Financial Freedom, in the 2nd quarter, after performing well in the first quarter. "

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-9780490727408008672007-05-03T21:50:00.000-07:002007-05-03T22:21:28.176-07:00

Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) have lower expense ratios, usually around 0.3%, than most mutual funds. Traditional open-end funds charge around 1.5% to 2% on average. But those low ETF expense ratios are offset by commissions on both ends of transactions. Mutual-fund investors aren't typically charged commissions for buying or selling. In the past, ETFs were largely used by big institutional

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-11521453747168427932007-04-22T16:48:00.000-07:002007-04-22T17:07:31.219-07:00

Last week the Dow Jones industrial index ended at record highs three sessions in a row, while both S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended at more than 6-year highs.In the week ahead we need to tread the water with caution. This week will bring figures of earnings and guidance from about 177 S&P500 constituents (including 6 Dow components). Serious investors will closely look at earning reports from some of the

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-49427198229616748652007-04-19T17:08:00.000-07:002007-04-22T17:17:00.607-07:00

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate decreased for the first time since early March this week. The latest reports of moderation in inflation rates from the core producer price and consumer price indexes seem to be the catalyst behind this decline. Excluding food and energy, the core inflation rate for consumer prices rose 2.5% year-over-year, the smallest annual growth since May 2006.According to

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-85293231620088155012007-04-15T17:14:00.000-07:002007-04-15T17:51:58.598-07:00

Last week, Barclays Global Investors launched the first Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) --the iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond Fund (HYG). The fund is the first one to invest in 'junk' bonds. Barclays now offers sixteen fixed-income ETFs, up from just six last year.'Junk' bonds are those speculative securities that are rated below investment-grade and are considered risky investments. But, in

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-61352411052609133122007-04-03T20:13:00.000-07:002007-04-03T20:33:20.413-07:00

Yesterday, Charles Schwab & Co launched 3 open-end mutual-funds to track benchmarks based on valuation criteria that fund managers often use to pick stocks. This differs from traditional benchmarking, which takes market capitalization into account to weight holdings.Robert Arnott, chairman of Research Affiliates, a Pasadena, CA based company, developed these so-called fundamental indexes. Instead

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-24890869877563865852007-03-25T21:03:00.000-07:002007-03-25T21:12:58.216-07:00

California-based Countrywide Financial Corp. (CFC) and IndyMac Bancorp Inc. (NDE) and 23 other defendants have been sued by homeowners asking for $100 million in mortgage-fraud damages and a halt in debt collection and foreclosures and imposition of a new standard on lenders that would limit loans to borrowers who are deemed suitable. "By extending these loans, the mortgage lenders have earned,

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-8790716500735927722007-03-15T17:22:00.000-07:002007-03-15T17:30:23.834-07:00

The mortgage market failed to get a definite direction in this week ending Thursday due to conflicting economic news from various sectors. The economy added 97,000 jobs in February, in line with consensus expectations, while the unemployment rate dipped to 4.5%. But the retail sales grew a meagre 0.1% in February, falling short of the predicted value of 0.3% gain.According to Freddie Mac's weekly

Quarknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-86006407979445642632007-03-13T17:06:00.000-07:002007-03-15T17:22:16.263-07:00

The PowerShares DWA Technical Leaders Portfolio (PDP) is one new Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) in the street that is being billed as the first ETF implementing a process based on purely technical, rather than fundamental, factors. So, instead of talking to executives, analyzing financial statements and projecting items such as revenue and cash flow, the new fund will try to beat the market by

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-25794351811576914172007-02-20T19:56:00.000-08:002007-02-21T22:20:57.232-08:00

Today Deutsche Bank and Amvescap unit PowerShares Capital Management LLC launched a pair of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in the American Stock Exchange, which allow investors to make money from the movement of the U.S. dollar against a set of foreign currencies:PowerShares DB U.S. Dollar Bullish Fund (UUP) &PowerShares DB U.S. Dollar Bearish Fund (UDN) .These new ETFs allow investors to play

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-11376426172333732922007-02-10T17:29:00.000-08:002007-02-13T17:31:22.245-08:00

In the State of the Union address in January, President Bush outlined a major plan to reduce the number of Americans not covered by health insurance. The portion of the health-care industry in national economy has doubled over the past decade to about 16% of GDP, and if and when President's plan is implemented, this sector would be bound to receive a major boost.The best way to invest is to

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-87281304207514967972007-02-01T19:27:00.000-08:002007-02-01T19:45:03.069-08:00

The Federal Reserve kept the short term rate unchanged at 5.25% and also referred to "tentative signs of stabilization" in the housing market in its Wednesday statement. Investors are liking the fact that a strong 3.5% annualized growth in the economy occurred over the final quarter of 2006, while inflation moderated.The Homebuilders' ETFs have started having a good run up -- We told you in our

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-70684820965611210472007-01-30T19:52:00.000-08:002007-01-30T20:07:08.131-08:00

Inflation is defined as a sustained rise in the general level of prices of consumer goods and services and is measured by the non-seasonally adjusted Consumer Price Index (CPI) for All Urban Consumers. The CPI is a good measure of inflation as experienced by consumers in their day to day living expenses and is often referred to as the cost-of-living index. For getting additional information about

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-20998518246237673572007-01-27T19:37:00.000-08:002007-01-30T19:43:21.315-08:00

The HSBC Direct Online (HSBCdirect.com) announced that it would give 6.00% APY interest to new money deposited in any old or newly opened savings account until April 30th, 2007. Currently, this is the highest rate among all savings accounts in USA and it has no minimum deposit or fee requirements. It's even better than 3-month CD rates (highest level is near 5.5% APY) and has extra advantage that

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-58522883555739112592007-01-25T19:18:00.000-08:002007-01-25T19:46:20.221-08:00

Sales of U.S. existing homes fell 0.8% in December to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 6.22 million mainly due to decline in the West, according to a report from National Association of Realtors. Seasonally adjusted sales have been essentially flat for 5 months after a steep decline in summer. Sales in December were down 7.9% compared with December 2005. For all of 2006, existing-home sales

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-9886019033476859982007-01-24T20:01:00.000-08:002007-01-24T20:10:06.404-08:00

Foreign Currency CD? Never heard the name? The Jacksonville, Florida based Everbank introduced such a unique investment vehicle in late 2005. Certificate Deposits or CDs are usually referred to as a safe haven in the ever-changing world of investment and are quite popular with retired people who do not wish to take a chance with their hard-earned money at a late stage of their life.All you need

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-76391767983246076732007-01-22T19:55:00.000-08:002007-01-24T20:00:15.404-08:00

The 40-year mortgage, for years a niche product, is finally set to have a strong presence in the mainstream mortgage market. Forty-year mortgages have lower monthy payments than the well-known 30-year version, although they cost more over the life of the loan because the borrower pays interest for 10 years longer. With the lower monthly payments, they are seen as a tool to allow people to buy

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-11917515103134536892007-01-21T19:37:00.000-08:002007-01-27T08:21:37.393-08:00

Unlike traditional energy companies which suffered a downturn in June but came up nicely thereafter, the alternative-energy shares had to wait for the great 4th year-end run-up of Dow to regain their losses.For example, Winslow Green Growth Fund (WGGFX) , a small-cap portfolio that has investments in clean-energy stocks, Guinness Atkinson Alternative Energy Fund (GAAEX) and a similarly focussed

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-49605888653587961772007-01-11T19:29:00.000-08:002007-01-11T19:45:50.421-08:00

Mortgage rates rose on solid job report after holding steady the previous week. Last Friday, Treasurys sold off on worries that surprisingly robust jobs creation in December would make it hard for the Fed to cut interest rates anytime soon and some even started talking about rate hike making the investors of both stocks and bonds nervous. Early on that day, the Labor Department reported that

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-1446996005812801452007-01-10T20:25:00.000-08:002007-01-10T20:41:43.897-08:00

According to a recent report from Mortgage Bankers' Association, 43 million American households headed by someone 50 or older owned their main residence and 6.6 million homeowners of that age group owned a second home (often located in well-known vacation areas). Although the second-home market is relatively small, within the next 10 years, the number of second homes is expected to grow by 2

Quarknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-50971399148791337102007-01-09T20:40:00.000-08:002007-01-10T20:41:23.941-08:00

Target retirement funds are also known as life-cycle or target maturity funds. The rule is very simple to understand: As an investor approaches retirement, these funds take less risk with stocks and put more money into conservative bonds. In retirement, these funds put most of the money in income-producing bonds. U.S. fund companies like Fidelity Investments, T. Rowe Price Group, the Vanguard

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-86335983109497919602007-01-06T17:29:00.000-08:002007-01-07T08:54:30.188-08:00

Bill Gross, the widely respected Guru of Bonds and Managing Director of Pimco, the world's largest bond fund, predicted in an article on the Pimco website that the Federal Reserve would go for rate cuts totaling 100 points which will reduce the fed funds short-term rate from its current level of 5.25% to 4.25% by late 2007.On Friday, Treasurys sold off on worries that surprisingly robust jobs

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-56919262214665488932007-01-04T16:57:00.000-08:002007-01-07T09:06:15.547-08:00

According to Freddie Mac's weekly survey, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage remained unchanged from 6.18% average last week. In 2006, the lowest point for the mortgage was seen on Jan. 19, when it hit 6.1%. The rate was 6.21% one year back. The 15-year fixed rate averaged at 5.94% this week -- up slightly from last week's 5.93%. At this time last year this rate was 5.76%.Five-year Treasury-indexed

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-1151195889645242342007-01-03T17:32:00.000-08:002007-01-05T07:07:10.651-08:00

In the jargon of IRS, any rental activity is considered passive. A passive activity is one that involves trade or business in which the tax payer does not materially participate. There are various tests for determining material participation. But the two common ones are: The individual participates in the activity for more than 500 hours during the year; or more than 100 hours during the year and

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-75293884589639787922006-12-31T21:58:00.000-08:002007-01-03T20:32:16.202-08:00

We wish all our readers a very happy and safe 2007! We sincerely thank all of you for your continuous support.

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-24671926822589629492006-12-28T18:29:00.000-08:002006-12-29T09:40:07.995-08:00

Mortgage rates inched up over the week, following news of a jump in consumer spending in November. Financial markets were concerned that stronger spending could keep the fear of inflation alive and the Federal Reserve could hike the short term interest rate in 2007. Such worries were further compounded by the releases of new- and existing-home sales for November, which both exceeded market

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-17076120656463657612006-12-19T20:34:00.000-08:002007-06-05T22:28:10.664-07:00

Today the State Street Global Advisors (State Street), the investment management arm of State Street Corporation launched the streetTRACKS DJ Wilshire International Real Estate ETF (RWX) on the American Stock Exchange (Amex). The ETF is billed to be the first such offering designed to track overseas listed real-estate stocks and has an expense ratio is 0.6%.RWX is based on the Dow Jones Wilshire

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-84585324277434707902006-12-14T15:47:00.000-08:002006-12-18T08:00:53.571-08:00

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported that mortgage delinquencies jumped in the 3rd quarter for all types of loans, but particularly for subprime ARMs (Adjustable Rate Mortgages) -- with the delinquency rate rising to 4.67% from the 2nd quarter's number, 4.39%. The number of borrowers who took on exotic mortgages to afford pricey homes has been a major concern of economists and housing

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-43515187079774685122006-12-13T21:43:00.000-08:002006-12-13T22:15:09.267-08:00

Claymore Securities Inc. and partner MacroMarkets LLC listed 2 oil-related ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) on the American Stock Exchange on November 30th. They are issued as a closely linked pair, one for bullish investors on oil futures and the other for bears. Each hold short-term Treasuries and cash, and pledge to compensate each other based on changes in the settlement price of the Nymex

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-52515546661311702992006-12-11T19:53:00.000-08:002006-12-11T23:18:14.320-08:00

The value of your home might have increased quite a bit but it's actually only 94% of what you think the price should be! A 6% commission is taken away by the real estate agents. For a long time both buyers and sellers were nurturing this grudge inside their mind while making the transaction, but things are changing for the better. A new breed of realtors are coming up to sneak into the market

Quarknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-12247203820212388122006-12-07T17:10:00.000-08:002006-12-10T17:25:53.119-08:00

The long-term mortgage rates fell for the sixth straight week. The 30-year rate is now very close to the lowest level of 2006, 6.10% seen in January. As a result, refinancing activity is stepping up throughout the nation. It may act as a factor leading to revitalization of the housing sector.According to Freddie Mac's weekly survey, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.11% in the week that

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-37145748821866161112006-12-04T18:27:00.000-08:002006-12-04T20:22:26.940-08:00

As we all know by now that housing market in the U.S. is slowing. Last week the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) reported that U.S. home prices grew at an annual rate of 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Including the 3rd quarter, home prices are up 7.7% in the past year, the slowest in three years. A year ago, prices were rising at 13.4%. In last 5 years, home prices have risen by a

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-8083456640056288132006-11-30T20:06:00.000-08:002006-12-04T18:52:45.482-08:00

The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) reported today that U.S. home prices grew at an annual rate of 3.5% in the 3rd quarter. Including the third quarter, home prices are up 7.7% in the past year, the slowest in three years. A year ago, prices were rising at 13.4%. In last 5 years, home prices have risen by a whopping 57%.Also, according to an estimate released by the

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-49365397821006644392006-11-28T18:31:00.000-08:002007-01-24T19:37:31.205-08:00

Unlike traditional energy companies which suffered a downturn in June but came up nicely thereafter, the alternative-energy shares could never get rid of that mid-year disillusionment of their investors.For example, PowerShares WilderHill Clean Energy (PBW), an alternative-energy focused ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is off by about 25% from their peak after a good run up there in the first half of

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-44170142311105904502006-11-27T19:05:00.000-08:002006-12-04T18:52:28.326-08:00

Currently, for most of the country, the maximum limit for mortgage loan is $417,000. This limit is typically increased each year by the level of home-price inflation. The conforming loan maximum is the largest loan that can be purchased by mortgage giants Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac. Loans larger than the maximum, known as jumbo loans, typically carry higher interest rates.According to a statement

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-57353229133737330412006-11-20T21:07:00.000-08:002006-12-04T18:52:04.950-08:00

As we cautioned our readers again and again (see past posting), the housing slump indeed turned out to be more pronounced than those in the "soft landing" camp had expected. A government report late last week showed housing starts plunged 14.6% in October to the lowest level in more than six years. Building permits fell 6.3%, the largest percentage decline in seven years. Home builders have seen

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-48179875166610263512006-11-16T17:57:00.000-08:002006-12-04T18:51:43.240-08:00

As the threat of inflation seems to be receding away, the mortgage rate takes a dip in this week. Both the Producer Price Index (PPI) and Consumer Price Index (CPI) for October came in lower than expected and bond yields dropped, pulling mortgage rates lower.Also, according to an estimate released by the Commerce Department, starts of new homes plunged 14.6% last month to a seasonally adjusted

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-27430461997609895192006-11-14T19:16:00.000-08:002006-11-14T20:42:11.367-08:00

Today we present a list of eight Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) which invest in good companies that consistently pay out dividend:In November 2003 Barclays Global Investors introduced the first dividend ETF, iShares Dow Jones Select Dividend (DVY). That fund carries an expense ratio of 0.4%. The timing of its introduction was perfect and it gained a lot taking advantage of the 2003 federal

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-12184162765363112942006-11-13T13:37:00.000-08:002006-11-13T14:13:09.365-08:00

In 2003, the Rockville, Md.-based Rydex investments launched Rydex S&P Equal Weight (RSP), an exchange traded fund (ETF). The fund aims to invest 0.2% in each of the 500 stocks in the S&P index. The equal weighting isn't exact because stock prices are constantly shifting, but Rydex rebalances the ETF on a quarterly basis to get back to the target. The fund has amassed a respectable $1.8 billion

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-40593442024602045132006-11-07T09:10:00.001-08:002006-12-04T18:51:22.204-08:00

In our posting dated Sept 26 we said we failed to understand who were still buying stocks of the nation's largest home builders like KB Home (KBH), Lennar (LEN), Pulte Homes (PHM), Toll Brothers (TOL), Beazer Homes (BZH) and Hovnanian (HOV) because an ugly sky was looming large over the housing market.All those companies have been lowering guidance on home sales in recent weeks, reporting lower

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-39897736245073706952006-11-02T19:33:00.000-08:002006-11-02T19:51:21.901-08:00

After increases in two of the last three weeks, mortgage rates reversed the trend and went down this week on lower than expected figures for the 3rd quarter gross domestic product. Lower rates may generate a spurt of refinancing by those who want to get out of ARMs that are scheduled to reset in the next year.According to Freddie Mac's weekly survey, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.31%

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-58367450763820599042006-11-01T22:19:00.000-08:002006-12-02T18:03:26.413-08:00

Last May exchange-traded fund (ETF) newcomer Van Eck Global listed its first ETF, the Market Vectors - Gold Miners ETF (GDX) . Since its launch the fund has gathered in about $260 million in assets. On Monday this New York investment adviser company listed a pair of new offerings on the American Stock Exchange.The first one, Environmental Services ETF (EVX) is already being dubbed as the "trash"

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-65636846629053757042006-10-31T14:08:00.000-08:002006-12-04T19:06:32.411-08:00

Powershares Listed Private Equity Portfolio (PSP) is another innovative ETF (exchange traded fund) on the street from PowerShares Capital Management, a unit of mutual-fund giant Amvescap Plc. PSP began trading on the American Stock Exchange last week. It tracks an index of 34 listed private-equity companies that primarily invest in and lend capital to privately-held firms. So, the fund provides

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-9814990992568916912006-10-29T21:27:00.000-08:002006-12-02T18:03:41.795-08:00

Retail mutual funds investing in China are scoring big gains in 2006. Here are 5 Top-performing mutual funds and one exchange traded fund with their year-to-date gain percentage:Oberweis China Opportunities Fund (OBCHX) 53.1%;Old Mutual Clay Finlay China (OMNAX) 48.2%;John Hancock Greater China Opportunities (JCOAX) 42.9%;Dreyfus Premier Greater China (DPCAX) 42%;Matthews China Fund (MCHFX) 36%.

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-48238354773051240662006-10-26T20:30:00.000-07:002006-12-04T18:51:06.912-08:00

U.S. Census Bureau reported (see full report) that sales of new homes unexpectedly rose 5.3% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.075 million, the most in three months. Homebuilders slashed prices at the fastest pace in 36 years in September, boosting sales to this high level. Median sales prices dropped 9.7% in the past year to $217,100, the lowest price in two years. It's the

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-56383686402584230062006-10-25T19:31:00.000-07:002006-10-26T20:46:26.695-07:00

In July ProShare Advisors LLC listed four index-linked ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) on the American Stock Exchange. These innovative ETFs seek to provide twice the daily opposite return of the Nasdaq 100 (NDX) , Standard & Poor's 500 (SPX) , S&P MidCap 400 (XX) and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) .Ticker symbols of these ETFs are UltraShort QQQ ProShares (QID) , UltraShort S&P 500

Quarknoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-61127319514478847402006-10-24T21:10:00.000-07:002006-12-02T18:03:54.479-08:00

Many home-owners are at risk with their adjustable-rate mortgages (ARM). Rising interest rates and falling home values are creating an atmosphere of panic among some borrowers who had extended their ability of purchase by selecting such ARM or interest-only mortgages and are now finding their monthly payments at unaffordable level.But not in all cases the borrowers' greed of possessing a larger

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-25017839307453643412006-10-23T21:25:00.000-07:002006-10-23T21:27:04.687-07:00

'FDIC insured' -- this is an important phrase that we must always check out before we put our cash into any bank in any form. But, as we know, its coverage is upto $100,000. For many of our senior citizens who are already retired or are approaching that soon, this is a problem, if they wish to keep most of their wealth in safe deposits rather than investing in stock market.Nevertheless, just 60%

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-51100908535199416232006-10-19T19:11:00.000-07:002006-10-20T19:22:10.712-07:00

Mortgage rates hovered very near to last week's averages, pausing ahead of next week's Federal Reserve meeting. Most people believe that the Fed will not raise rates at that meeting. A decision of rate change in either direction would impact short-term rates. To get a feel of where the long term rates are heading to, one needs to watch carefully fine points in Fed's statement.According to Freddie

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-52244097513096523912006-10-18T16:59:00.000-07:002006-10-18T17:03:04.537-07:00

In last few years ...with increasing home prices and mortgage rates and more competition for catching the attention of future homebuyers, lenders were desparately figuring out ways to keep the dream alive for millions of people who want to own their own home. Banks started offering 40-year mortgages, which now account for about 5% of all home loans. And soon thereafter appeared the 50-year

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10642041.post-11894900250588520452006-10-17T22:04:00.000-07:002006-12-02T17:56:47.388-08:00

According to an estimate from Goldman Sachs, the global business of water, encompassing the residential and industrial water and wastewater treatment and services, is growing by 4% to 6% a year in developed countries, and as much as 15% in developing countries. Currently, it is estimated to be of about $365 billion and holding a promising forward-looking future as all countries are planning to

Quarknoreply@blogger.com0