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U.S. Economic Growth Surprises In The Third Quarter

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:20:54 GMT

The Obama administration’s $787 billion stimulus package has yielded results as the U.S. economy grew for the first time since the second quarter of 2008.[More...]

GDP Notes - In Depth

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:08:06 GMT

Senior strategist Dirk van Dijk, CFA has issued notes on this morning's GDP numbers. These notes will be published in two separate blogs -- Growth Rates and Contributions to Growth. The recession is over![More...]

Is Citi Preparing To Underwrite The Upcoming Bank Of America TARP-Repayment $45 Billion Equity Offering?

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:36:00 GMT

Remember Citi? The bank that once did stuff like investment banking and research, sales and trading, and some other things, and was a little more than just a zombifying and rapidly decaying ward of the state? Neither do we. For a vivid example of how things have changed, Citi today's added BAC stock to its "top picks live" list... and nobody gave a rat's ass. In fact the action in financial stocks was driven more by Dick Bove's earlier downgrade of some regional banks, dragging down such "opportunity" firms as Bank of America with them. Yet Citi knows a thing or two about a thing or two, specifically that BofA, once it is done with all the assorted litigation facing its soon to be ex-CEO, and any potential legal dangers over that other orange guy they got for a steal when they acquired Countrywide, will[More...]

Used Home Sales Soar

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 18:52:12 GMT

Spurred on by a last minute rush to get in on the "first-time home buyer" tax credit, sales of existing homes jumped by 9.4% in September to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.57 million, up from 5.10 million in both August and September of a year ago.[More...]

Haven't We Learned Anything From The Meltdown?

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 21:46:39 GMT

From the article "Yes, The CRA Is Toxic: So Why is Congress Thinking About Expanding It?" by Edward Pinto, who was the chief credit officer at Fannie Mae in the 1980s.[More...]

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT)

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 17:26:03 GMT

Amid positive signals emanating from the uptick in housing prices and an improving outlook for consumer spending, the housing sector is gradually stabilizing. Both new and existing home sales have increased during the last four consecutive months and are now 32% and 17% above their recent lows, respectively. Single-family housing starts have also risen 37% from their low point, and inventories of homes-for-sale have fallen sharply.[More...]

Are Fannie (FNM) and Freddie (FRE) Worthless?

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:56:36 GMT

According to Bose George analyst at Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, the two government sponsored entities that buy mortgages from banks have zero value to common shareholders. KBW downgraded the shares to Underperform and lowered the price target to zero from $1. The primary concern is that the mortgage giants have been bailed by the government to the tune of nearly $100 billion, and according to George they will still be heavily indebted to the US government even ten years down the road. In addition to the bailouts Fannie Mae (FNM) and Freddie Mac ([More...]

Market Closing : New Closing Highs For Year As Earnings Mostly Beat

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:55:00 GMT

Stock averages closed up around 1% and in the upper end of the day's range. Gains shaped up after a brief swoon into the red in early trading. Stocks have continued to trade at 2009 highs as most earnings meet or top expectations, in many cases due to cost-cutting.[More...]

ETF Preview: Tech Funds Leaning Higher in Step With Broader Market, Ahead of Post-Bell Results From Apple, TI

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:54:14 GMT

Major market ETFs, including the SPY, DIA, UYG and others, are firmer, in step with an expected broad market gain. The PowerShares QQQ (QQQQ), which tracks the technology-studded Nasdaq Composite, is up 0.2%.[More...]

Even Alan Greenspan Thinks The Banks Have Become Too Large

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:41:48 GMT

You know we've reached code red "Outrageous" when even "hands off" Alan Greenspan believes the banks have become too large. As many sensible people have said, anything that is "too big to fail" is TOO big period. Something I've posted on the website many times is the large financial entities are now just like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in that everyone knows deep in their hearts that the government would come to their rescue - which gives them an inherent advantage.[More...]

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, David Nicklaus column: The federal bailout of banks may not be as costly as feared

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:47:00 GMT

And the big banks -- the focus of the public's ire during the congressional debate -- may not cost the Treasury much, if any, money when the program is finally wound down.
Wells Fargo appears poised to do the same.
Citigroup isn't yet in a position to repay the TARP money, and the Treasury couldn't sell its shares quickly without depressing the price.

: iStockAnalyst.com Symbols Feed

U.S. Economic Growth Surprises In The Third Quarter

GDP Notes - In Depth

Is Citi Preparing To Underwrite The Upcoming Bank Of America TARP-Repayment $45 Billion Equity Offering?

Used Home Sales Soar

Haven't We Learned Anything From The Meltdown?

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REIT)

Are Fannie (FNM) and Freddie (FRE) Worthless?

Market Closing : New Closing Highs For Year As Earnings Mostly Beat

ETF Preview: Tech Funds Leaning Higher in Step With Broader Market, Ahead of Post-Bell Results From Apple, TI

Even Alan Greenspan Thinks The Banks Have Become Too Large

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, David Nicklaus column: The federal bailout of banks may not be as costly as feared

Business Highlights

Business events scheduled for the coming week

Fed wary of raising key interest rate -- Bernanke, colleagues believe U.S. economy still needs federal help despite recent action

Business Highlights

Rates on 30-year loans fall below 5 percent

Long term rates fall below 5 percent

Fed leaves rates near zero, signals they'll stay there

Fed again pledges to hold rates at record-lows

Stocks add to gains as Fed holds rates low

SBT Bancorp, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2009 Results

Health Care REIT, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2009 Results

Central Bancorp, Inc. Reports Financial Results for the Three and Six Months Ended September 30, 2009

HFF, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2009 Financial and Transaction Production Results

Glen Burnie Bancorp Releases 3Q Earnings

FHLBank Cincinnati Announces Third Quarter 2009 Results

Summit Financial Group Reports Q3 2009 Results

Provident Financial Holdings Reports First Quarter Results

Northfield Bancorp, Inc. Announces September 30, 2009 Results

CORRECTING and REPLACING CB Richard Ellis Group, Inc. Reports Third Quarter 2009 Financial Results

Form 3 FEDERAL HOME LOAN MORTGA For: Oct 12 Filed by: Kari Ross Jay (10K)

Form 3 Witherell Bruce M For: Sep 14 (10K)

Form 4 Kenny Timothy F For: Sep 06 (10K)

Form 3 HALDEMAN CHARLES E For: Aug 10 (10K)

Form 4 Mullings Paul E For: Jun 05 (10K)

Form 4 Weiss Jerry For: Jun 05 (10K)

Form 4 Saksena Anurag For: Jun 05 (10K)

Form 4 May Michael C For: Jun 05 (10K)

Form 4 GEORGE PAUL G For: Jun 05 (10K)

Form 4 Bostrom Robert E. For: Jun 05 (10K)