December 22nd, 2011
+%3Cp%3E+Homebuilder+sentiment+perked+up+in+December+for+the+third+month+in+a+row%2C+to+its+highest+level+in+a+year+and+a+half%2C+the+National+Association+of+Home+Builders+said+on+Monday.%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EThe+NAHB%2FWells+Fargo+Housing+Market+index+rose+to+21+from+a+downwardly+revised+19+in+November%2C+the+group+said.+Economists+polled+by+Reuters+had+predicted+a+reading+of+20.%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EThe+index+was+at+its+highest+level+since+May+2010.%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3E%22While+builder+confidence+remains+low%2C+the+consistent+gains+registered+over+the+past+several+months+are+an+indication+that+pockets+of+recovery+are+slowly+starting+to+emerge+in+scattered+housing+markets%2C%22+NAHB+Chairman+Bob+Nielsen+said+in+a+statement.%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EAfter+stagnating+in+a+tight+range+for+about+a+year%2C+the+index+has+been+improving+since+October%2C+giving+weight+to+analysts%27+views+that+the+housing+market+is+finally+finding+a+bottom.%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EEven+with+December%27s+gain%2C+home+builder+sentiment+is+still+historically+low+and+well+below+the+50+mark%2C+indicating+more+builders+view+market+conditions+as+poor+than+favorable.+The+index+has+not+been+above+50+since+April+2006.%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3E%22We%27re+not+looking+for+numbers+next+year+to+come+anywhere+close+to+the+kind+of+numbers+that+we+saw+pre-recession%2C+but+we+do+think+the+housing+market+is+setting+up+for+a+plus+year+in+2012+in+terms+of+new+home+construction%2C+as+well+as+sales%2C%22+said+Steve+Blitz%2C+senior+economist+at+ITG+Investment+Research+in+New+York.%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EThe+current+sales+component+rose+to+22+from+20%2C+while+the+gauge+of+sales+expectations+for+the+next+six+months+rose+to+26+from+25.%3C%2Fp%3E+%3Cp%3EThere+was+little+impact+in+financial+markets+from+the+data+as+investors+focused+on+developments+in+the+euro+zone+and+uncertainty+following+the+death+of+North+Korean+leader+Kim+Jong-il.%3C%2Fp%3E++%3Cp%3E%3Ca+href%3D%27http%3A%2F%2Fwww.reuters.com%2Fassets%2Fprint%3Faid%3DUSTRE7BI0ZA20111219%27+rel%3D%27nofollow%27%3ERead+more%3C%2Fa%3E%3C%2Fp%3E+
Filed under: management, marketing by Finance Boss
Comments Off
December 18th, 2011
The St. Louis home market seems to be going in two directions at once
Filed under: homeowners, term by Finance Boss
Comments Off
November 27th, 2011
Large-cap growth funds have held up better than most other types of stock funds this year.
Previously ignored, big-name companies that have rapidly rising earnings become more attractive in uncertain times than their riskier small-cap counterparts.
Their strong balance sheets, economy-resistant businesses, ample cash reserves and trend toward dividends make sense for risk-averse investors who never thought […]
Filed under: Uncategorized, banks by Finance Boss
Comments Off
November 24th, 2011
The number of people seeking unemployment benefits ticked up slightly last week after two months of steady declines.
But the increase isn’t enough to reverse the downward trend. The four-week average of applications, a less volatile measure, fell to its lowest level since April. The decline in the average signals that companies are laying off fewer […]
Filed under: economics, online by Finance Boss
Comments Off
November 8th, 2011
Rupert Murdoch’s British newspaper company spied on two lawyers who represent alleged victims of phone hacking by its tabloid News of the World, the firm acknowledged Monday.
News International said lawyers Mark Lewis and Charlotte Harris “were subject to surveillance,” a practice it called “inappropriate.”
The BBC and The Guardian newspaper reported Monday that Lewis and Harris […]
Filed under: News, debt by Finance Boss
Comments Off
November 3rd, 2011
French President Nicolas Sarkozy will hold emergency talks Wednesday with European leaders in a last-ditch bid to salvage his Group of 20 meeting of world leaders this week after the shock decision by Greece’s prime minister to put his country’s financial rescue to a popular vote.
Sarkozy’s summit in the sun on the Cote d’Azur now […]
Filed under: News, business by Finance Boss
Comments Off
November 1st, 2011
Surveys show China’s manufacturing remained sluggish in October, with a government industry group reporting the slowest growth in nearly three years.
The China Federation of Logistics and Purchasing said Tuesday that its monthly purchasing managers index fell an unexpectedly large 0.8 percentage point to 50.4, just above the 50-level that signifies expansion.
It forecast the economy would […]
Filed under: technology, term by Finance Boss
Comments Off
October 30th, 2011
The 40 largest employers in the St. Louis region represent just a tiny fraction of all local employers. But they wield tremendous hiring clout, employing more than 260,000 people, or a fifth of all jobs here.
If only they were hiring more. Just 12 of the 40 are actively recruiting to expand their workforce, according to […]
Filed under: debt, marketing by Finance Boss
Comments Off
October 21st, 2011
ATHENS, GREECE
Filed under: economics, uk by Finance Boss
Comments Off
October 16th, 2011
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could smooth out all the rough spots in your personal investments?
Many investors have wondered just that during this frenetic market year that is constantly being buffeted by world events. Too often, they boldly invest when stock prices are high, then fearfully halt their investing or sell their holdings altogether […]
Filed under: management, term by Finance Boss
Comments Off