<Click on chart for larger image> MarketWatch.com – Home prices post slowest annual growth in almost two years Home-price growth slowed in August, pulling back the annual pace among 20 major U.S. cities to the slowest rate in almost two years, according to data released Tuesday. U.S. home prices nudged up 0.2% in August, slower… Continue reading Home Prices Slow
FT Alphaville – Now that that’s over… Mario Draghi probably wasn’t expecting that his July 2012 comment that “the ECB is ready to do whatever it takes to preserve the euro” would coincide with the start of a relentless drop in bank lending to nonfinancial businesses far worse than what occurred during the first wave… Continue reading Europe
The Wall Street Journal – Obama Soaks the Rich, Drowns the Middle Class The ripple effect of the president’s tax hikes is swamping take-home pay. The curse of the U.S. economy today is the downward trend in “take-home pay.” This is the most crucial economic indicator for most Americans, but when President Obama said in… Continue reading The Ripple Effect Of Tax Hikes
The Wall Street Journal – Newest Workers for Lowe’s: Robots Now the question is whether OSHbot represents one giant step—or glide, for those devices on wheels—for robots in retail. The International Federation of Robotics estimates sales of more than 400 robots world-wide between 2014 and 2017 that serve as guides or information providers in places… Continue reading The Rise of the Machines
The Wall Street Journal – Fast Traders Are Getting Data From SEC Seconds Early Hedge funds and other rapid-fire investors can get access to market-moving documents ahead of other users of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s system for distributing company filings, giving them a potential edge on the rest of the market. Two separate groups… Continue reading High Frequency Trading
The Associated Press – Fed Will Likely Signal No Rate Hike Anytime Soon The global economy has slumped. Turmoil has gripped financial markets. And the U.S. job market, despite steady gains, still isn’t fully healthy. Yet when the Federal Reserve meets this week, few foresee any major policy changes. The Fed is expected to complete… Continue reading The Fed Meets Today, Should End QE Tomorrow
Reuters – ECB stimulus may lack desired scale, QE an option – sources he European Central Bank’s plan to buy private sector assets may fall short of its goal and pressure is likely to build for bolder action early next year, with government bond purchases an option, ECB sources said. The euro zone’s central bank… Continue reading ECB Floats QE Option
Comment With midterm elections exactly one week away, we will post the projected outcomes of both House and Senate elections with a bit more frequency. Below are a couple graphics showing poll results for control of the House. The first comes from Real Clear Politics while the second comes from the Iowa Electronic Markets. <Click… Continue reading Mid-Term Election Update
Bloomberg – S&P 500’s Rise at Five Times GDP Growth Shows Recovery Is Priced Into Stocks For almost six years, one of the most powerful bull markets on record has coexisted with the weakest economic recovery since World War II. This month’s selloff in stocks shows how much investors want that to change. In the… Continue reading Stocks And The Economy
Barron’s – Hedge Funds’ Assets Rise, Even as Gains Fall One hope for the industry: mutual funds that invest in hedge funds. Based on its first three quarters, 2014 isn’t shaping up as a great year for hedge funds. Not a disaster—but nothing to write home about. Through the first nine months of the year,… Continue reading Hedge Funds
<Click on chart for larger image> The Wall Street Journal – Gas at $3 Carries Rewards—and Risks Consumer Benefit Offset to Some Extent by Potential Threat to Energy Boom Gasoline prices have dropped below $3 a gallon at most U.S. gas stations, delivering a welcome lift to American consumers and retailers heading into the holidays.… Continue reading Cheap Gas