Economy Watch: Case-Shiller Index Sees Surprise Uptick, but Is It Meaningful?
The Case-Shiller 20-city index went up in April; consumer confidence went down in May; and the number of mortgage loan fraud reports went up in the first quarter.
Economy Watch: Gas Prices and Nervousness Constrain Consumer Spending in May
Consumer spending wasn’t any better in May than it was in April; income barely rose in May; and financiers in Europe are reportedly receptive to a suggestion that much of the Greek debt be rolled over by private creditors.
Economy Watch: Greek Parliament Debates More Austerity
The Greek parliament debates austerity measures needed to receive more bailout money; Freddie Mac reports that mortgage delinquencies are down; and U.S. GDP growth decelerates.
PODCAST: Economy Watch Weekly with Dees Stribling
For the week ending June 24, uncertainty colors the Fed’s diagnosis of the U.S. economy; Greece gets set to vote on austerity measures that could earn it more money from the E.U. and IMF; and governments release small amounts of crude oil reserves to the open market.
Economy Watch: New Home Sales Take a Dip in May
New home sales dropped 2.1 percent in May; the United States is tapping emergency stockpiles of crude oil and selling it on the open market; and the congressional impasse over the debt ceiling returns.
Economy Watch: No QE3 from Fed, Even in Face of Slow Growth
Despite weak market growth, Bernanke says there will be no QE3; Moody’s/REAL Commercial Property Price Index drops 3.7 percent; and the FHFA’s house price index inches upward.
Economy Watch: U.S. Home Sales Head for the Cellar
NAR reports that home sales hit a low for 2011 in May; HUD approves a program designed to help unemployed homeowners pay their mortgages; and Greece is looking at bailouts coupled with austerity.
Economy Watch: IMF to Greeks: More Austerity or Else
The IMF warns of “large global spillovers” if Greece doesn’t tighten the reins on its debt; Wal-Mart fends off its Supreme Court discrimination suit; and the government files suit against J.P. Morgan Chase and Royal Bank of Scotland Group for selling bad mortgage bonds to credit unions.
Economy Watch: Leading Economic Indicators See Uptick
The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index registered a bump up in May, but consumer sentiment dropped in early June. And large numbers of corruption charges are moving through Chinese courts.
PODCAST: Economy Watch Weekly with Dees Stribling
For the week ending June 17, good news came in about gas prices and housing starts, but economists are less optimistic about U.S. predictions for the year. And the eurozone has its own problems, with Greece and Spain battling austerity issues.