Spurred by a desire of home buyers to get in under the wire of the $8,000 “first time" homebuyer tax credit that expires at the end of November, the National Association of Realtors' pending sales index jumped 6.4% to a reading of 103.8 from 97.6 in July. This was the highest reading since March of 2007. Another factor in the increase is the rise in the number of short sales (people selling the house for less than the amount of the mortgage, with the OK of the bank holding the mortgage) which involve a lot more paperwork and thus a longer time between the agreement to buy and the actual closing. Still, this is some more evidence that we have turned the corner in the housing market. That turn has been helped along by an extraordinary amount of government assistance. Not just the tax credit, which is ...

Housing Streak Ends At Four

To anyone holding a half-full glass and with rose-tinted spectacles firmly in place on their face, the latest batch of real estate data has brought them back to reality with a sharp bump.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) dampened the spirits on Thursday morning, with the news that sales of existing U.S. homes fell by 2.7% in August to an annual rate of 5.1 million.

And thus, the streak of four straight months of rising sales came to an end. Although given the fragile, stumbling recovery of the housing market, that’s akin to Cal Ripken’s consecutive games played streak for the Baltimore Orioles.

As for prices, they’re still stuck in reverse, too. The average price is currently $177,000 – about 12.5% lower than this time last year. And it’s no surprise to see

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The National Association of Realtors released data indicating a 2.7 percent decline in home sales for August. This was a surprise to many investors after a 4 month upturn in home sales figures and a 7.2 percent increase in July.

These surprising results heighten the anticipation of a coming end to the $8,000 tax credit for new homeowners expiring at the end of November. The Fed said on Wednesday that it would begin reducing purchases of mortgage-backed securities and that it would extend the program into the beginning of next year. While nationwide home sales are up and the inventory of unsold homes has dropped notably, sales are still down roughly 30 percent from the peak 4 years ago.

Commodities prices also fell sharply indicating that fears about disintegrating monetary fundamentals may be justified. In addition, Labor Department statistics clearly show a flagging job market despite conclusions regarding a 3

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As usual in Washington, it’s “Do as I say, not as I do.” While Ben Bernanke is talking up the U.S. economy, Congress and the IRS are scrambling to stop another real estate collapse.

First, the political left and National Association of Realtors are in the process of extending the now famous “first time homebuyer tax credit.” The initial plan, which was passed around this time last year and allows first-time homebuyers an $8,000 tax credit, is on track to cost about $15 billion — double the projected budget.

Heh, and just like “cash for clunkers” going massively over budget must be a sign of scorching legislative success. Thus, the new plan is to extend the tax credit into the summer of 2010, boost the credit to $15,000 and make all potential homebuyers eligible. Those who are content with their current home and/or unwilling to invest in a new one… well, they

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There is good news filtering through the Street today. It was enough to pull the market into positive territory, but will it keep us there? YRC Worldwide (NYSE:YRCW) and Patrick Industries (NASDAQ:PATK) help illustrate where we are heading.

Could it be? Are the markets actually increasing this morning on solid economic data and not just speculation or political maneuvering? If it’s true, it is certainly a sign of good things to come for the nation’s bulls.

Just after the opening bell, the Institute for Supply Management released its latest measurement of America’s manufacturing sector. With a rating of 52.9 in August, well above the 50.5 analysts were expecting, the vital industry proves to be growing once again.

The growth is already trickling down to the nation’s real estate market. According to the National Association of Realtors, pending home sales managed to rise for the sixth straight month, to

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There’s no question that the past year-and-a-half has been disastrous for investors. Since last March, the S&P 500 has lost nearly a quarter of its values, and many are still too scared to put their money back in the market in the market. But according to some of the best investors in the world, now is exactly when you should turn your eye to stocks…

Super-investor Warren Buffet once said that his investment philosophy was to buy stocks when others were fearful, and to be fearful when others were buying. Right now isn’t the time to be fearful along with the herd; it’s time to stock up on stocks.

As I predicted earlier in the year, right now the market is zooming higher like there’s no tomorrow.

Let’s begin with this chart of the S&P 500, a good proxy for the broader U.S. stock market…

As you

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Is the recession technically over? The strongest argument for recovery we’ve seen yet… Rob Parenteau shares his new macro economic forecast… “Told you so!” writes Byron King — “breaking news” he and The 5 scooped in March 2008… Plus, Chris Mayer’s latest contrarian play…

Our forecast today: The government and mainstream media will soon be calling the end of the recession. Leading this feeble cause is the latest ISM manufacturing index, probably the most powerful argument for recovery we’ve seen yet:

This morning, the ISM said its gauge of manufacturing activity had risen to 52.9 in August – out of contraction for the first time since the recession began and the highest score since June 2007. Of course, things are a bit different now, but over the last 60 years, when the manufacturing sector returns to growth, the recession has already ended. That prospect

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Why Housing Prices Will Keep Dropping in Value

by Alexander Green, Advisory Panelist

Good news has been swirling around the housing market lately.

The Commerce Department reported on Wednesday that sales of new U.S. homes surged 9.6% in July.

A week before, the National Association of Realtors reported that previously-owned home sales in July jumped at the fastest rate in 10 years.

Realtors are now reminding us that sales have risen for four consecutive months. Thanks to low interest rates and government incentives, they tell us, housing prices will soon be heading back up.

Don’t bet on it…

I was in real estate for years. Asking my colleagues whether prices were likely to head higher was like asking the Army Corp of Engineers whether a river needed a bridge.

The answer was a foregone conclusion.

In many ways, this is understandable. Real estate agents

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A rise in existing home sales last month shows things are getting better in the U.S. housing market, but the still-dire unemployment situation and the looming possibility of a jobless recovery may halt the rally by the end of the year. That makes the extension of an $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers imperative.

Existing home sales rose 7.2% to a 5.24 million annual rate in July, the most since August 2007 and the fourth straight month the figure increased, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) said Friday. Year-over-year sales grew 5%, the increase since September 2007, just before the markets came crashing down the following month.

“The housing market has decisively turned for the better,” said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun. “A combination of first-time buyers taking advantage of the housing stimulus tax credit and greatly improved affordability conditions are contributing to higher sales.”

Rising sales numbers

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The dollar fell to $1.42 per euro yesterday. Many believe it is the Achilles Heel of the entire world financial system – including Warren Buffett.

Achilles was said to be dipped in the river Styx and made invulnerable. But his mother held him by his heel, leaving that part untouched by the magic waters. Naturally, that is where a poison arrow got him.

The moral of this story is that you have to go all the way. If you want your baby to be invulnerable, put him all the way under the water… even the heels. Or, maybe there’s another point: that there’s always some place where you’re vulnerable.

For the purpose of today’s tale, we’ll take the second possibility. Try as you may, you can never escape all risks.

All over the world, consumer prices are falling. The world has too much capacity… too many factories… and too many workers. Too many,

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