Markets

Highlights The US dollar is mixed to start the week, though market conditions remain thin due to the holiday.  The constructive employment report before the weekend has kept the greenback bid against the euro and Swiss franc. …

Asia: Asian equities rallied on improving global growth prospects, with the MSCI Asia-Pacific Index advancing for its 6th consecutive session.  The 0.3% rise puts the index at its highest level since mid-Jan.  Of note, the…

Jim the Realtor gives advice to buyers about what to look for in order to avoid short sale fraud, something he sees as rampant in North County, San Diego where he works as a realtor. (Hat tip Tom Lindmark.) San Diego and LA are seeing…

The SNB's apparent absence had emboldened the market, which has driven the euro to record lows against the Swiss franc.  The SNB had been clear.  It was still closely monitoring the Swiss franc even though it acknowledged that at…

Highlights The US dollar is little changed against the major foreign currencies despite robust purchasing manager index reading throughout Europe and Asia.  The lack of much of a market reaction could reflect one of two factors. …

Highlights The US dollar remains largely on the defensive despite the recovery in North America yesterday.  The euro slipped to almost $1.3380 in Asia, but has recovered smartly in Europe, but It is sterling that is the stand out…

Rampant fraud in the mortgage industry has increased so sharply that the FBI warned Friday of an "epidemic" of financial crimes which, if not curtailed, could become "the next S&L crisis." Assistant FBI…

The Case-Shiller Home Price Indices released this morning were a mixed bag. The data for January 2010 showed a decline of 0.7% from a year earlier. On a month-to-month basis prices fell 0.4%. Yet nine of the 20 markets in the Composite-20…

The Nationwide, the UK's largest building society, released data this morning showing that UK house prices rebounded in March from February's dip. The average UK home now costs £164,519, up 9.% from year ago levels. Much of the increase has…

I was reading Dean Baker's commentary on why the Obama mortgage plan brings no relief in the Guardian when it dawned on me that the 'new' plan is an enhancement of the old plan. And this is significant because the old plan turned…