Jobless claims jump to one-month high of 257,000

  • April 27, 2017
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  • realestatelife

The number Americans who recently lost their jobs and sought unemployment benefits rose last week to a one-month high, though the increase appeared largely concentrated in New York state. Initial jobless claims jumped by 14,000 to 257,000, the Labor Department said Thursday.

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Housing affordability drops to 8-year low

  • March 31, 2017
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Housing affordability continues to slip lower, hitting levels not seen since 2008 and 2009. More housing markets are slipping below historical levels and homeownership is becoming out of reach for many as average incomes can’t keep up with growing home prices.

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ECB leaves interest rates

  • April 27, 2017
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  • realestatelife

European Central Bank left interest rates unchanged and made no adjustments to its monetary guidance.This guidance disappointed some traders who had bet that it might signal that interest rates could soon rise, despite the central bank’s warnings to the contrary.

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1 Time When Balance-Transfer Credit Cards Don’t Make Sense

  • April 1, 2017
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  • realestatelife

The dangerous thing about using credit cards is that if you don’t use them carefully, you can wind up neck-deep in debt — and getting out of that debt will cost you dearly. If you’re paying off a $10,000 balance over two years, and your APR is 18%, then you can expect to pay about

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Balance-Transfer Credit Cards Part 2

  • April 2, 2017
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  • realestatelife

Although a balance transfer to a 0% card may sound inviting, you need to be aware for the 2%, 3%, or even 4% that is charged upfront for the transfer. The interest rate may be lower that the current location of the debt, but what is the term of the new offer? You effective rate

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Power surge in U.S. jobs might get short-circuited in March

  • April 2, 2017
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  • realestatelife

The American jobs engine got off to a explosive start in the first two months of 2017 as the economy added nearly half a million new workers, but keeping the pedal to the metal will be hard to sustain. After 238,000 people were hired in January and 235,000 in February, Wall Street looks for a

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U.S. trade deficit widens in March

  • April 27, 2017
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  • realestatelife

An early look at U.S. trade patterns in March shows a 1.4% widening in the nation’s trade deficit. The trade gap in goods—services are excluded—widened to $64.8 billion in March from $63.9 billion in February, the government said Thursday in its advanced report. This widening of the deficit only partially reversed a sharp narrowing in

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Dollar firms as manufacturing data seen supporting Fed rate hikes

  • April 3, 2017
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The dollar firmed moderately against leading rivals Monday ahead of U.S. manufacturing data that’s expected to show little change from recent readings, but likely won’t sway the Federal Reserve from plans to raise interest rates again this year. Accordingly, the dollar’s moves were limited so far.

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Construction spending rebounds in February

  • April 3, 2017
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  • realestatelife

Construction spending rebounded in February, as builders took advantage of the warm weather to put up more houses. Construction spending rose a seasonally adjusted 0.8% in February, the Commerce Department reported. Though expectations were for a 1% gain, January’s decline was revised upward to now show a 0.5% decline instead of a previously reported 1%

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U.S. trade deficit drops 10% in February

  • April 4, 2017
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  • realestatelife

The U.S. trade deficit sank almost 10% in February, aided by an increase in exports to a 26-month high and a plunge in imports of autos and cell phones. The deficit fell to $43.6 billion in February, more than canceling out a big increase in January that raised the nation’s trade gap to a five-year

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