Interest rates are modestly higher this morning after equities closed nearly 3% higher Wednesday.
Ninety minutes before the opening bell, S&P 500 futures are just below yesterday’s high at 1081.25 and the benchmark 10-year Treasury note is -0-04 at 100-09 yielding 2.593% (+1.3%). The October delivery FNCL 4.0 is -0-02 at 102-27.
A busy economics calendar carries the potential to shift market sentiment in the day ahead.
At 8:30, initial jobless claims are anticipated to rise 2k to show that 475,000 Americans filed for first-time unemployment benefits in the final week of August.
The labor news comes one day before the official monthly numbers are released.
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NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — Despite a recent spate of bad news coming out of the housing industry, home prices show signs of stabilizing.
National home prices jumped a substantial 3.6% in the past year, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index released on Tuesday. Prices also climbed 4.4% in the second quarter compared with a 2.8% plunge in the first quarter.
Of course, the positive report was buoyed by the government’s tax credit program, which refunded as much as $8,000 for homebuyers. With that program now over, markets could cool, according to David M. Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at Standard & Poor’s
“While the numbers are upbeat, other more recent data on home sales and mortgages point to fewer gains ahead,” he said.
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(Money Magazine) — Home improvement is one of the fastest-growing segments of e-commerce. But the consequences of a bad decision when it comes to finding a contractor or remodeling products online are far worse than buying the wrong paperback.
What if those rave reviews you read about a contractor are ringers posted by his daughter — or if your supposedly in-stock sink order doesn’t ship for two weeks, throwing off your entire work schedule?
Follow these tips to avoid glitches and get the most for your money.
To find a contractor: Sites that are driven by consumer ratings are your best bet. That’s because you get to see what as many as hundreds of prior customers say about all the pros in your area.
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With refinance FHA, VA, fixed and ARM rates neat the lowest levels of 2010 it comes as no surprise to see many Americans looking to compare mortgage interest rates today. Before making any assumptions that all borrowers will be able to lock in to low 30 year fixed mortgage rates it is important to recognize that it will take a great credit score and a low debt to income ratio to get these low rate offers.
Many Americans stand to benefit greatly from the current low interest rate environment. Some borrowers are finding that they can save hundreds of dollars a month on a mortgage payment. Read more…