Friday 1 July 2016

Monday 14 December 2015

November retail sales show holiday season gains

Commerce reported that November retail sales at $448.1 billion were up 0.2 percent compared to November-for its best showing since July-and up 1.4 percent annually, on the heels of 1.7 percent, 0.1 percent, and 0.2 percent, in October, September, and August, respectively.

Monday Morning Cup of Coffee: Will Fed raise interest rates in December?

It’s finally here. It’s the week of the December Federal Open Market Committee meeting. The question up for debate: Will the Federal Reserve interest rates? According to most sources, the answer is yes. Also, ever tried to explain what you do for a living to your friends? Make them what this Hollywood motion picture.

Friday 11 December 2015

House follows Senate’s lead, passes STB Reauthorization Act

Railroad service issues and rates remain front and center, as has been the case in previous incarnations of this legislation. The bill is focused on addressing inefficiencies within the STB, which serves as the federal regulatory body responsible for economic oversight of the U.S. rail system, with regulatory jurisdiction over railroad rate reasonableness, mergers, line acquisitions, new rail-line construction, line abandonment, and other issues.

Ally Financial getting back into mortgage business

Two years after being completely driven from the mortgage business due to the losses suffered by its former subsidiaries, GMAC Mortgage and Residential Capital, also known as ResCap, Ally Financial is getting back into mortgages. Click the headline to read more.

Wednesday 9 December 2015

Here's the current status of the top three housing markets

Although the buyer traffic index did improve, it is still below agent expectations as persistent issues with short supplies of quality inventory and buyer resistance to higher prices remain significant concerns. This is the latest update on the top markets in the nation based on single-family building permits.

ISM semiannual report’s ‘special questions’ focus on falling oil prices and strength of U.S. dollar

The December 2015 Semiannual Economic Forecast issued yesterday by the Institute for Supply Management took on two items that have been prevalent in addressing current trends in the form of: sharply lower oil prices the strength of the U.S. dollar. Each question was presented to the ISM’s manufacturing and non-manufacturing member respondents.