By Martin Hutchinson Contributing Editor Money Morning Upbeat headlines have been everywhere in recent weeks, and they all seem to point to a single conclusion: The U.S. economy is in the early stages of a very rapid recovery. In fact, when you peruse the news it’s difficult to come to any other conclusion. For instance: […]
Archives for July 2009
July 2009 - Money Morning - Only the News You Can Profit From
Investment News Briefs
With our investment news briefs, Money Morning provides investors with a quick overview of the most important investing news stories from all around the world. All Three Markets Rise on Earnings Beats; Government Now Citi’s Biggest Shareholder; Jobless Claims Up but Subsiding; Crude Surges More Than 5%; Motorola Surprises; Recession Takes a Toll on House […]
Global Slowdown And Plunging Profits Have "Big Oil" Companies Searching For Ways to Rebound
By Bob Blandeburgo Associate Editor Money Morning In late January, Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE: XOM), the world’s most ubiquitous oil giant, capped off a whipsaw year in the global oil markets by reporting net income of $45.2 billion, an all-time record for corporate profits that shattered the former record it had set a year before. […]
Eurozone Deflation Becoming a Bigger Concern
By Jason Simpkins Managing Editor Money Morning Eurozone consumers expect prices to continue to slide over the next few months, raising concerns about a deflationary spiral in the European bloc, the Financial Times reported. According to a July survey conducted by the European Commission (EC), expectations that prices will fall reached their highest level since […]
Investment News Briefs
With our investment news briefs, Money Morning provides investors with a quick overview of the most important investing news stories from all around the world. Fed: Recession Slowing; General Dynamics Earnings Take Off; Sprint Revenue Tumbles 10%; American Express Sheds TARP Albatross; Congressman: Manufacturers Should Keep Finance Divisions; CIT Investments Drag Aflac Profit Down; Cost-Cutting […]
Has the Housing Market Really Hit Bottom, or Is It Headed for Another Collapse?
By Jason Simpkins Managing Editor Money Morning A rash of positive housing data has given some analysts hope that the housing market has bottomed and an economic recovery is underway. But the soaring unemployment and rising mortgage rates could lead to a double-dip plunge for the housing market. Home prices rose on a monthly basis […]
Why Ben Bernanke's Incomplete 'Exit Strategy' Could Lead to a Decade-Long Downturn
At its most basic level, the U.S. Federal Reserve's so-called "exit strategy" is designed to let government bailout and liquidity programs unwind on their own, as markets return to a state of "normalcy." But what investors don't realize is that without an exit strategy that includes plans for unwinding insolvent mortgage giants Fannie Mae (NYSE: […]
How the Once-Respected Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Helped Fuel the U.S. Real Estate Bubble
Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM), originally designated as a "government-sponsored enterprise" (GSE), was born in 1938 as a child of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Great-Depression-fighting "New Deal," and was designed to stimulate mortgage lending. Fast-forward 30 years. In 1968, Fannie Mae shares were sold to the public to help finance the Vietnam War. Freddie Mac […]
Investment News Briefs
With our investment news briefs, Money Morning provides investors with a quick overview of the most important investing news stories from all around the world. Goldman Goes to Defends Energy Trading; Consumer Confidence Falls on Job Worries; Home Price Erosion Continues to Slow; Congress Works to Ban Incentive Pay, Give Shareholders a Voice on Bonuses; […]
Bank Stock Outlook: Will First-Half Gains Give Way to Second-Half Pain?
[Editor's Note: After more than a year of chaos and controversy, some of the leading U.S. banks saw their stock prices soar during the second quarter. As part of its mid-year forecast series, Money Morning examines the outlook for U.S. banks for the rest of this year. To see earlier stories from our mid-year forecast […]