Research Center

The National Retail Federation reported that more than 141 million Americans did some kind of shopping over the Thanksgiving holiday (Thursday to Sunday), compared with 139 million over the same period last year.

S&P Dow Jones Indices reported the latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Indices, which cover the three months ending in September.

Ahead of housing permit numbers from the government, which is a forward-looking indicator for the housing market, the National Association of Realtors reported that its forward-looking Pending Home Sales Index, which is based on contracts signed but not closed, dropped.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 28 states had unemployment rate decreases in October compared with September, while 11 states and the District of Columbia saw increases and 11 states experienced no change.

Zillow reported that one of the persistent hangovers of the housing bubble and the recession that followed, namely negative residential equity, dropped in the third quarter of 2012 to 21 percent of all homeowners with a mortgage.

The Federal Open Market Committee released the minutes from its Oct. 29-30 meeting, and one of the more closely watched subjects taken up in was tapering.

Probably with an eye toward his legacy, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke spoke at the National Economists Club Annual Dinner in Washington, defending his actions as chairman and offering some reasons for the continued bond-buying program.