Archive for December, 2007

A down day, but stocks gain in '07 despite subprime (Reuters)

Monday, December 31st, 2007

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, December 13, 2007. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)Reuters - Stocks fell on Monday, but the market
managed to make a modest advance in 2007 after gains in energy
and technology offset the dramatic sell-off in financials from
the mortgage market meltdown.

Existing home sales edge up 0.4 percent (AP)

Monday, December 31st, 2007

A house for sale is seen in Albany, N.Y., Friday, Dec. 28, 2007. Sales of previously owned homes inched up in November but that didn't change the overall bleak picture for an ailing housing industry.  (AP Photo/Mike Groll)AP - Sales of previously owned homes nudged up in November, but that didn’t improve the broader picture of a feeble housing market racked by record-high foreclosures and harder-to-get credit.

Existing home sales edge up from record low (Reuters)

Monday, December 31st, 2007

Construction work continues on new homes in Carlsbad, California September 18, 2007. (Mike Blake/Reuters)Reuters - The pace of existing U.S. home sales
edged up in November from a record low, according to a report
on Monday that offered some tentative signs of stabilization in
the still-ailing housing market.

Profit projections slide for fourth quarter (Reuters)

Monday, December 31st, 2007

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange August 9, 2007. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)Reuters - Projections for S&P 500 companies’
fourth-quarter earnings swung to a 6.1 percent drop on Monday
from an 11.5 percent rise on October 1, in the biggest
quarterly move since Reuters Estimates started compiling
analysts’ forecasts in 1999.

M/I Homes sells land, exits a Florida market (Reuters)

Monday, December 31st, 2007

A worker takes a measurement on a new house under construction in the Green Valley Ranch development in Denver, Colorado July 26, 2007. (Rick Wilking/Reuters)Reuters - Single-family home builder M/I Homes
Inc. said on Monday it has sold some Florida land to
reduce debt, and is exiting the West Palm Beach market in that
state, sending shares up 3 percent in early trading.

Wachovia may face new mortgage write-downs (Reuters)

Monday, December 31st, 2007

A Wachovia branch in McLean, Virginia, in a file photo. As more banks report write-downs tied to the global credit crunch, analysts say Wachovia may have losses lurking in an area that has garnered less investor attention. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)Reuters - As more banks report write-downs tied
to the global credit crunch, analysts say Wachovia Corp
may have losses lurking in an area that has garnered less
investor attention.

Wall Street set to open up ahead of home sales data (Reuters)

Monday, December 31st, 2007

Reuters - Stock index futures rose on Monday in
the final trading session of the year with little on the
corporate agenda and ahead of existing home sales data.

Game Group sees year profit ahead of forecast (Reuters)

Monday, December 31st, 2007

A Game Group store is seen in this undated handout photo. British computer and video games retailer Game Group Plc said on Monday it expected its full-year profit to be ahead of an average market forecast following a continued strong sales performance. (Handout/Reuters)Reuters - British computer and video games
retailer Game Group Plc said it expected its full-year
profit to be ahead of an average market forecast after
continued strong sales in the run-up to Christmas, boosting its
shares.

30-year mortgages rates climb (AP)

Monday, December 31st, 2007

President George W. Bush speaks before signing the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, December 20, 2007. Joining Bush are from L-R: Bush, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson. (Larry Downing/Reuters)AP - Rates on 30-year and one-year mortgages climbed this week, while rates on some other home loans didn’t budge.

Home sales up a bit, situation bleak (AP)

Monday, December 31st, 2007

AP - Sales of previously owned homes nudged up in November, but that didn’t improve the broader picture of a feeble housing market racked by record-high foreclosures and harder-to-get credit.

Wall St sags, but ends '07 up despite subprime woes (Reuters)

Monday, December 31st, 2007

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, December 13, 2007. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)Reuters - Stocks fell on Monday, but the market
managed to make a modest advance in 2007 after gains in energy
and technology offset the dramatic sell-off in financials from
the mortgage market meltdown.

Existing home sales edge up from record low (Reuters)

Monday, December 31st, 2007

Construction work continues on new homes in Carlsbad, California September 18, 2007. (Mike Blake/Reuters)Reuters - The pace of existing U.S. home sales
edged up in November from a record low, according to a report
on Monday that offered some tentative signs of stabilization in
the still-ailing housing market.

Profit projections slide for fourth quarter (Reuters)

Monday, December 31st, 2007

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange August 9, 2007. (Lucas Jackson/Reuters)Reuters - Projections for S&P 500 companies’
fourth-quarter earnings swung to a 6.1 percent drop on Monday
from an 11.5 percent rise on October 1, in the biggest
quarterly move since Reuters Estimates started compiling
analysts’ forecasts in 1999.

M/I Homes sells land, exits a Florida market (Reuters)

Monday, December 31st, 2007

A worker takes a measurement on a new house under construction in the Green Valley Ranch development in Denver, Colorado July 26, 2007. (Rick Wilking/Reuters)Reuters - Single-family home builder M/I Homes
Inc. said on Monday it has sold some Florida land to
reduce debt, and is exiting the West Palm Beach market in that
state, sending shares up 3 percent in early trading.

Wachovia may face new mortgage write-downs (Reuters)

Monday, December 31st, 2007

A Wachovia branch in McLean, Virginia, in a file photo. As more banks report write-downs tied to the global credit crunch, analysts say Wachovia may have losses lurking in an area that has garnered less investor attention. (Kevin Lamarque/Reuters)Reuters - As more banks report write-downs tied
to the global credit crunch, analysts say Wachovia Corp
may have losses lurking in an area that has garnered less
investor attention.