ThinkstockIn its announcement Wednesday afternoon, the FOMC cited concern over recent developments in the housing market as a reason to maintain its asset purchase program at $85 billion a month. In particular…
ThinkstockThe number of U.S. homeowners who owe more on their mortgages than their houses are worth fell to 7.1 million at the end of the second quarter of 2013, an improvement of…
ThinkstockSince hitting a five-year peak in mid-May of this year, shares of homebuilders’ stocks have dropped between 15% to 33%. That is about the time that mortgage interest rates began climbing and…
ThinkstockThe S&P/Case-Shiller home price index for June posted another month of solid gains, but not on the same pace as the record-setting rise in May. The 20-city composite rose 12.1% year-over-year, just…
courtesy of TargetIn its second-quarter earnings report released before markets opened on Wednesday, Target Corp. (NYSE: TGT) announced adjusted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.19 on revenues of $17.12 billion, compared with…
ThinkstockBefore markets opened on Wednesday, Lowe’s Companies Inc. (NYSE: LOW), the country’s second largest home improvement store chain, reported second-quarter diluted earnings per share of $0.88, up from $0.64 in the second…
courtesy of Wal-Mart Stores Inc.Walmart is the largest American employer, with a workforce of nearly 2.2 million people. However, because of its international reach, only 1.3 million of those were employed in…
Jon OggStocks closed mixed on Tuesday, making two weeks worth of losses seem like they do not have to continue. Investors may finally be getting used to the environment of higher interest…
ThinkstockHome Depot Inc. (NYSE: HD) reported second-quarter 2013 diluted earnings per share (EPS) of $1.24 and $22.5 billion in revenues before markets opened this morning. In the same period a year ago,…
Paul Ausick August 19, 2013: U.S. equity markets opened mixed this morning as the Nasdaq eked out a positive start. The rocky start to the week is being attributed to rising 10-year Treasury yields…
ThinkstockSo far this earnings season U.S. retailers haven’t put up a very good show. Retailers that have already reported results said that customers had become cautious again during the quarter and same-store…
ThinkstockYou have probably noticed in the last couple of months that some of the strong housing recovery news headlines have tamed. Some of the price hikes, existing home sales, permits reports, pending…
Frank Golhen, via Wikimedia CommonsAs the stock market continues its 1990s style rally, investors continue to keep a very close eye on changing strategies. High dividend stocks have given way to dividend…
ThinkstockToday’s report from the National Association of Realtors (NAR) on existing home sales in June may mean that there is trouble brewing for home improvement centers like The Home Depot Inc. (NYSE:…
ThinkstockThe stock market may be challenging all-time highs again, but interest rates have skyrocketed and mortgage applications have hit a serious soft patch as a result. As interest rates rise, it drives…
