| 541. | Mortgage Rates Remain Near Recent Levels
The equity markets have been trading today in both positive and negative territory. In corporate news, International Paper, SBC Communications, Cisco Systems, Nortel Networks, Lucent Technologies, and JDS Uniphase were trading up. On the other hand,Significant economic news today from the U.S. Commerce Department said that Personal Spending in December was up 0.4 percent, following a revised 0.5 percent increase in November. Personal income rose 0.2 percent in December, following a 0.3 percent..
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| Monday, February 02, 2004 |
| | 542. | Mortgage Rates Edge Back Down
A weaker-than-expected 4th quarter GDP spurred a rally in U.S. Treasury securities that had enough strength to send mortgage rates back down. The GDP, which is the broadest measure of the nation's economy, showed respectable 4 percent growth. BuStocks never recovered from the disappointing GDP. The three major indices closed down for the day and down for the week, but each closed in positive territory for the month--led by the Nasdaq with a 3 percent gain. The Nasdaq remained close to break..
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| Friday, January 30, 2004 |
| | 543. | Mortgage Rates Move Back Up
The equity markets today attempted to rebound from yesterday’s losses. The markets were mixed in early trading, with the Dow and the S&P 500 slightly up, while the NASDAQ was slightly down. Then in afternoon trading the markets all slipped into negaSignificant economic news today from the Labor Department showed that new jobless claims in the United States slipped a littlelast week. The jobless report said that the number of people filing new claims for state unemployment benefits was down 1,0..
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| Thursday, January 29, 2004 |
| | 544. | Mortgage Rates Remain at Recent Low Levels
The equity markets traded today mostly in positive territory prior to the Federal Reserve announcement. Then, even though the Federal Reserve left interest rates where they were, the markets reversed today’s trend and headed down. Investors were noSignificant economic news today from the Commerce Department showed that new orders for durable goods—those such as computers and automobiles that are expected to last three or more years—were flat in December, following a 2.3 percent decline in Nove..
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| Wednesday, January 28, 2004 |
| | 545. | Mortgage Rates Creep Up
After a huge two-day sell-off, U.S. Treasury securities righted the ship today. Treasuries opened to the upside and got additional help from a weaker-than-expected consumer confidence report. Consumer confidence rose to 96.8 in January--a relatively Stocks gave back some of yesterday's gains, with investors turning a cold shoulder to impressive earnings reports. DuPont had a tough day in spite of reporting an 82 percent rise in profits and providing a bullish outlook. That scenario has been ..
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| Tuesday, January 27, 2004 |
| | 546. | Mortgage Rates Try to Hang On
Yields on U.S. Treasury securities made the biggest two-day gain between Friday and today since October. The yield on the benchmark 10-year note, which moves in the opposite direction of price, rose from a six-month low of 4.93 percent on Friday mornStocks were indeed impressive, with the Dow Jones closing at its highest level in 31 months. The Nasdaq followed closely, posting a 30-month high. All but one of the 30 Dow components--Alcoa--closed in positive territory. Hewlett-Packard led with a 3..
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| Monday, January 26, 2004 |
| | 547. | Mortgage Rates at Slightly Lower Levels
The equity markets today have been trading both up and down. Recent gains in inductrial blue chip stocks and financial stocks were mostly supporting the markets early. Later in the day, most of the markets traded in negative territory. Microsoft, wThere was no new significant economic news today. Thus, investors have been depending on political and corporate news for a sense of direction. Industrial blue chip and financial stocks were initially supporting the markets. On the other hand, tec..
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| Friday, January 23, 2004 |
| | 548. | Mortgage Rates Persist at Low Levels
The equity markets have been trading mixed today--in both negative and positive territory. A number of stocks have been down, and a number of other stocks have been up. JDS Uniphase, Sandisk, Lucent Technologies, JDS Uniphase, Nortel, and AT&T all Significant new economic news today from the Labor Department showed that claims for unemployment benefits fell. The number of people filing new claims for unemployment benefits dropped 1,000 from a revised 342,000 in the previous week to 341,000 in..
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| Thursday, January 22, 2004 |
| | 549. | Mortgage Rates Hold at Low Levels
U.S. Treasury securities held steady today, in spite of strong housing numbers. In fact, Treasuries picked up a little steam in the last couple of hours of trading, thanks to the continuing decline of the dollar against both the yen and the euro. ThiThe housing market flexed its muscles on two fronts. Housing starts in December climbed to an annual rate of 2.09 million units, chalking up their best year since 1978. Although most of the increase came from multi-family units, e.g., apartments and ..
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| Wednesday, January 21, 2004 |
| | 550. | Mortgage Rates Edge Back Up
The big sell-off in U.S. Treasury securities last Friday, spurred by a huge jump in the consumer sentiment survey, took a slight toll on mortgage rates over the weekend. Rising Treasury yields, which move in the opposite direction of price, forced leEarnings reports moved Wall Street, but not in the direction one expected. Five Dow Jones components--Johnson & Johnson, GM, United Technologies, 3M and Citigroup--all beat analysts' estimates, but, with the exception of Johnson & Johnson, they a..
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| Tuesday, January 20, 2004 |
| | 551. | Mortgage Rates Hit Another Six-Month Low
U.S. Treasury securities opened in rally mode, carrying forward the momentum of the last few sessions that kept Treasury yields, which move in the opposite direction of price, low. Buying was brisk, but a strong consumer sentiment number from the UniEarnings reports were the big movers on Wall Street. The Nasdaq headed up immediately, buoyed by upbeat reports from Juniper Networks, JDS Uniphase and Sun Microsystems--to name just a few. JDSU blew past expectations, reporting a 73 percent increas..
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| Friday, January 16, 2004 |
| | 552. | Mortgage Rates Remain Low
The equity markets began trading mixed and then slipped into negative territory but rebounded later in the day. Today’s economic news was mostly positive but weaker than economists’ expectations. Corporate news was rather mixed. J.P. Morgan Chase Economic news today from the Labor Department showed that the consumer price index (CPI), which is a broad measure of prices paid by consumers, was up 0.2 percent in December, following a 0.2 percent decline in November. The core rate, which exclude..
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| Thursday, January 15, 2004 |
| | 553. | Mortgage Rates Continue Low
The equity markets have been trading in both negative and positive territory today, but mostly in positive territory. Investors saw the narrowing of the trade deficit as a positive sign. On the corporate front, Delta Air Lines was trading up after Economic news today from the Labor Department said that the producer price index (PPI), which is a measure of wholesale prices, was up 0.3 percent in December, following a 0.3 percent decline in November. The core rate, which excludes the more volat..
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| Wednesday, January 14, 2004 |
| | 554. | Mortgage Rates Remain Low
A rally in U.S. Treasury securities, sparked by a worried Wall Street, sent Treasury prices back up and yields down to their lowest levels in months. The session started out flat for both stocks and bonds, with no influential economic reports to provThe economic reports were non-factors in today's events. U.S. import and export price indices showed no signs of inflation. Import prices rose by a less-than-expected 0.2 percent, due in part to rising petroleum prices, while export prices were u..
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| Tuesday, January 13, 2004 |
| | 555. | Mortgage Rates Head Down Again
The equity markets have been trading today in negatiove territory. The disappointing employment report dropped the equity markets into negative territory. In corporate news, IBM was trading down after reporting that it has received notice that fedeEconomic news today from the U.S. Labor Department showed that employers in December did not expand their payrolls as much as Wall Street economists had expected. Payrolls in the non-farm sector grew by only 1,000 jobs, compared with a downwardly re..
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| Friday, January 09, 2004 |
| | 556. | Mortgage Rates Remain Near Recent Low Levels
The equity markets have been trading moderately to the upside nearly the entire day. The jobless claims report was slightly disappointing to economists and investors, who expected new claims to be about 8,000 lower than the number was. In corporateEconomic news today showed that jobless claims were up more than economists had expected in the week ended January 3rd. Economists had anticipated new claims to be 345,000. The report, however, showed that new claims rose 14,000 from an unrevised 3..
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| Thursday, January 08, 2004 |
| | 557. | Mortgage Rates Edge Down
The equity markets began trading today slightly mixed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 began slightly down, and the NASDAQ Composite Index began slightly up. There was no significant economic news today to influence the markets. ISince there was no new significant economic news today, lenders are depending on political and corporate news to gain a sense of direction. In corporate news, a software company and an electronics retail chain both reported results that did not meet..
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| Wednesday, January 07, 2004 |
| | 558. | Mortgage Rates Creep Up
The big sell-off in U.S. Treasury securities on Friday, spurred by an unbelievably strong ISM index on manufacturing conditions and relief that the nation made it through the holidays without disruptions by terrorists, took its toll on mortgage ratesConstruction spending hit another all-time high in November, as it has for the past five months. Spending rose 1.2 percent--more than double what was expected. Automobiles also made headlines. November auto sales from the big three were released toda..
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| Monday, January 05, 2004 |
| | 559. | Mortgage Rates Hover Near Recent Levels
The equity markets began trading to the upside today on better-than-expected results from the Institute for Supply Management’s December report. Later in the day, however, the markets generally slid into negative territory. The dollar today continuSignificant economic news from the Institute for Supply Management Indicated that the Manufacturing index for December was up unexpectedly to 66.2. This was much better than economists’ expectations that the index would drop from November’s 62.8 to ..
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| Friday, January 02, 2004 |
| | 560. | Mortgage Rates Unchanged
In spite of a trio of weak economic reports, U.S. Treasury securities were unable to mount a rally. Consumer confidence in December fell to 91.3 from a revised 92.5 the previous month, when an increase was expected. And the Chicago Purchasing ManagerThe Dow Jones industrials closed down today after hitting a 21-month high yesterday, but losses were slight. Twelve Dow components closed in positive territory, but none had gains approaching 1 percent. Of the 18 that closed negative, Alcoa led with ..
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| Tuesday, December 30, 2003 |
| | 561. | Mortgage Rates Hold--for Now
Wall Street went wild today, building on Friday's momentum. There was no corporate or economic news to elate investors, but buy they did, sending the Nasdaq and the S&P 500 into territory not visited for a while. The Nasdaq crossed the 2000 mark The Dow Jones industrials closed at their highest level in 21 months, with all 30 components in positive territory. Alcoa led with a 3 percent increase, and SBC and AT&T each added more than 2 percent. Another 13 corporations posted gains of more tha..
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| Monday, December 29, 2003 |
| | 562. | Mortgage Rates Continue at Recent Low Levels
The equity markets today have been trading down on the weaker than expected economic news and the concern about mad cow disease in the United States. In corporate news, McDonald’s and Wendy’s International Inc. were trading down 6 percent and 5 percSignificant economic news from the Commerce Department showed that orders for durrable goods were down 3.1 percent to a seasonally adjusted $180.07 billion in November. This followed a revised 4 percent increase in October orders and was the biggest..
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| Wednesday, December 24, 2003 |
| | 563. | Mortgage Rates Begin to Climb
Positive economic news put pressure on U.S. Treasury securities early and it remained there all day. Personal income in November rose 0.5 percent due in part to recovery in the labor market, while personal spending rose 0.4 percent. Consumer spendinStocks closed split on lackluster volume. The Nasdaq put up big numbers, while the Dow Jones barely eked out a gain. Only three Dow components posted gains of more than 1 percent--Eastman Kodak, Hewlett-Packard, and Merck--while Altria was the only D..
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| Tuesday, December 23, 2003 |
| | 564. | Mortgage Rates Move Lower
The equity markets began the trading day moderately in positive territory, despite the elevation of the terrorist warning to the second highest level. Wal-Mart was trading up although the retailer said that sluggish sales would result in sales for iSince there was no new significant economic news today, investors have been depending on political and corporate news to help them gain a sense of direction. Political news is front and center because of an increase in the warning of possible terror..
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| Monday, December 22, 2003 |
| | 565. | Mortgage Rates Hover Near Recent Levels
Since there was no new significant economic news today, investors have been depending on political and corporate news to help provide a sense of direction. The markets had a considerable amount of volatility today since it was a quadruple witching dThe equity markets have been trading both in positive and negative territory today. On the corporate front, Red Hat has traded up around 16 percent after the company had an improved quarterly profit and Banc of America upgraded the stock from neutr..
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| Friday, December 19, 2003 |
| | 566. | Mortgages Conntinue Near Recent Levels
There was no new significant economic news today. Therefore, the equity markets are depending on political and corporate news in order to gain a sense of direction. The markets, following yesterday’s rally, have been prone to profit taking today. ThThe equity markets traded most of today in negative territory. After yesterday’s rally, investors did some profit taking in today’s trading. In corporate news, Bear Stearns has been trading up after reporting a better-than-expected profit. Lehman ..
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| Wednesday, December 17, 2003 |
| | 567. | The Equity Markets Finish Mixed
There was no new significant economic news today. Therefore, the equity markets are depending on political and corporate news in order to gain a sense of direction. The markets, following yesterday’s rally, have been prone to profit taking today. ThThe equity markets traded most of today in negative territory. After yesterday’s rally, investors did some profit taking in today’s trading. In corporate news, Bear Stearns has been trading up after reporting a better-than-expected profit. Lehman ..
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| Wednesday, December 17, 2003 |
| | 568. | The Equity Markets Continue Trading Down
There was no new significant economic news today. Therefore, the equity markets are depending on political and corporate news in order to gain a sense of direction. The markets, following yesterday’s rally, have been prone to profit taking today. ThThe equity markets have been trading most of today in negative territory. After yesterday’s rally, investors are cashing in on some profit taking in today’s trading. In corporate news, Bear Stearns is trading up after reporting a better-than-expect..
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| Wednesday, December 17, 2003 |
| | 569. | Mortgage Rates Unchanged
In spite of a slew of better-than-expected economic reports, U.S. Treasury securities posted gains, allowing mortgage lenders to hold rates steady. The economic news that spared Treasuries came from the consumer price index (CPI), which monitors inflThe Dow Jones rallied on the upbeat reports, and gained 1 percent on the session. Caterpillar was the big mover on the Dow, gaining more than 3 percent, and United Technologies was up more than 2 percent. Ten Dow components put up gains in excess of ..
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| Tuesday, December 16, 2003 |
| | 570. | Mortgage Rates Hold in Spite of Saddam Rally
Stocks soared on opening in response to the capture of Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein over the weekend. Wall Street was on a roll while U.S. Treasury securities sank, as money left the safe haven to participate in the rally. The euphoria was short-livedThe only economic news came from the N.Y. Empire State manufacturing index. Even though the index fell to 37.4 from last month's record high of 40.1, the data were strong. The number of employees rose, and future employment and capital spending a..
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| Tuesday, December 16, 2003 |
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