Gender Wage Gap Closing
Government researchers say that women earn 77 cents for every dollar men earn for equal work. The gender wage-gap improved this last year. The average year-round full-time male worker earned $47,127...
View ArticleStocks and commodities higher Thursday
Stocks were higher today for the second day in a row with strong gains in the financial sector. Gold and oil were both higher while the dollar was mixed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 104.51...
View ArticleCalifornia Real Estate News
The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) reported last week that fewer new homes were sold in 2010 compared to 2009. There were an estimated 321,000 new homes sold last year. Compare that...
View ArticleMortgage Application Volume Increased Last Week
Refinance and purchase mortgage applications increased last week, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Most of the increase came from an increase in government backed loans. In a...
View ArticleLocal Retailers Report Record Holiday Sales
The National Retail Federation (NRF) reported record traffic and spending over the weekend.The world’s largest retail trade association calculated that there were a record 226 million shoppers...
View ArticleEconomic Indicators Send Mixed Signals
While good economic news helped buttress stocks earlier in the week, a set of bad economic indicators put downward pressure on equity prices on Friday. Headlines from Europe failed to garner any...
View ArticleEconomic News
It was a good thing stock markets were closed on Friday, considering the negative economic news that would have driven markets even lower. The U.S. Department of Labor reported that the unemployment...
View ArticleStock Prices Tumble as Unemployment Rate hits 8.1 Percent
Stock prices declined Friday despite news that the unemployment rate in April fell to a three-year low of 8.1 percent. The U.S. economy added only 115,000 nonfarm jobs as the pace of job...
View ArticleCalifornia Home Sales Up in May
California homes sales jumped 9.3 percent in May compared to April, according to the real estate research company DataQuick. Southern California home sales reached a 20-month high.As prices ascended,...
View ArticleHousing Starts Rising while Home Sales Slump
Existing home sales were lower than expected in June while housing starts are on the rise. The two statistics provided mixed signals this week.The Department of Commerce said that private-owned...
View ArticleHome Sales and Prices Increase
Stock indexes were up and down this week depending on the whim of Washington rhetoric. While Democrats and Republicans squabbled over the details of taxes and spending, the Department of Commerce,...
View ArticleStocks advance on good employment news
A series of positive economic indicators helped push stock prices higher on Friday while the tech sector continued to stumble. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) and the broader S&P 500...
View ArticleMortgage rates creep upward - prices lower but loans harder to get
Santa Barbara CA – Like other parts of the country, California and Santa Barbara home prices have fallen. Realtor.com found 739 listings in the city of Santa Barbara this week with home prices ranging...
View ArticleStocks higher as gold and dollar fall
The Dow Jones Industrial Average was 10 points higher Tuesday as gold loses value and the dollar drops in relation to other world currencies. The DJIA continued to move higher since breaking the...
View ArticleStocks mixed while gold falls
Stocks are moving higher early Thursday in Asia and Europe. The Nikkei 225 was up 0.06 percent to 9,159.98 while the Hang Seng moved 0.08 percent higher to 23,671.42. European stocks are also...
View ArticleMortgage Application Volume Lower while Builder Sentiment Improves
Mortgage application volume decreased last week, according to a survey conducted by the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA). Freddie Mac (FHLMC) said that mortgage rates were unchanged last week while...
View ArticleReal Estate News – Home Prices and Sales Increase
New Home sales increased more than expected in April, according to a report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). There were 343,000 new single-family home sales in April...
View ArticleCentral Banks Bring Optimism to Markets
Speculation that central banks in the United States and Europe will take action to improve the economy helped provide confidence for a stock market rally on Friday. Earlier last week the Federal...
View ArticleConsumer Sentiment improves more than expected
Good economic news in the United States was overshadowed by sovereign-debt uncertainties in Europe this week. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) gained on Friday after several down-days. The...
View ArticleHome Buyers Take Advantage of Low Interest Rates
On Wednesday the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) said that mortgage loan volume increased last week. Meanwhile, the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) said that home prices continued to edge...
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