- Visteon judge won't halt benefits termination
(AP)
AP - A Delaware bankruptcy judge has refused to halt implementation of his order allowing auto parts supplier Visteon Corp. to terminate its retirees' health and life insurance benefits.
- PIMCO: End of mortgage buys form of tightening
(Reuters)
Reuters - The end of the Federal Reserve's program of purchasing $1.25 trillion of mortgage-backed securities at the end of March is a form of tightening monetary policy, the chief of the largest U.S. bond fund manager said on Tuesday.
- Summary Box: Housing construction falls in Feb.
(AP)
AP - HOUSING STARTS: Construction of new homes and apartments fell 5.9 percent in February to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 575,000 units.
- Is ExxonMobil Still Best of Breed?
(The Motley Fool)
The Motley Fool - It doesn't take a genius to recall that ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM - News) is the biggest of Big Oil. So with that fact out of the way, those with a yen for investing in energy are left to question whether the company is also the best of its group.
- Time to Buy This Tasty Appalachian Combination?
(The Motley Fool)
The Motley Fool - Just like the chocolate purist in those old ads who protested the delectable combination, coal investors protested CONSOL Energy's (NYSE: CNX - News) deeper dip into natural gas Monday with a 10% sell-off, dropping shares beneath $49 apiece. Although swallowing fossil fuels is never a good idea, investors may wish to "taste" this unique combination of fuels before protesting themselves.
- Bad weather depresses housing starts in February
(Reuters)
Reuters - U.S. housing starts fell last month as winter storms disrupted construction, and another drop in building permits suggested the weakness would linger.
- Housing starts, permits fall in February
(Reuters)
Reuters - Housing starts and permits to build new homes both fell in February as winter storms in some parts of the country disrupted home building, a government report showed on Tuesday.
- Wall Street hits fresh 17-month high after Fed
(Reuters)
Reuters - Stocks rose to a fresh 17-month high on Tuesday after the Federal Reserve held benchmark rates near zero and maintained its pledge to keep them low for an extended period.
- Ahead of the Bell: Housing starts
(AP)
AP - Housing construction, which hit a six-month high in January, likely slipped in February, reflecting in part the major snowstorms that hit many parts of the country. The housing industry in good times is a major generator of jobs and economic growth.
- The Recovery Is Gaining Momentum, but Government Is in the Way
(The Motley Fool)
The Motley Fool - It's been a long row to hoe since the economy entered the Great Recession. Even though the recovery seems to be under way, there's still a way to go until the economy returns to normal. Take a peek at the latest economic activity: On the plus side, February's retail sales rose by a better-than-expected 0.3%, despite the major snowstorms that blanketed parts of the nation and kept people off the roads. Aeropostale (NYSE: ARO - News), J.Crew (NYSE: JCG - News), and Nordstrom (NYSE: JWN - News) all posted good-looking quarters recently. ...
- Quinn won't talk about alternative to tax increase
(AP)
AP - Gov. Pat Quinn refused to say Monday whether he has a plan to avoid deep cuts in education if lawmakers resist his call to raise the state income tax.
- 21 Ways to Cut Expenses in Retirement
(U.S. News & World Report)
U.S. News & World Report - Few Americans are saving enough to finance a retirement that could last 30 years or more. Workers who haven't accumulated enough to maintain their current standard of living have two choices: delay retirement or learn to live on less money. Those willing to put in a little effort to downsize big and small expenses may be able to get by just fine with a smaller retirement stash. Here are some frugal strategies retirees can employ to stretch their nest eggs:
- Tech's Top Movers
(The Motley Fool)
The Motley Fool - The Nasdaq 100, a tech-heavy index, finished last week up 1.89% to close at 1,924.43. Techs are rallying at a notable time: Wednesday marked the 10-year anniversary of the bursting of the dot-com bubble.
- Conn. would waive student loans in 'green' jobs
(AP)
AP - Paul Goulet hopes Connecticut will help him get from under nearly $8,000 he's borrowed for college after losing his job in a paper manufacturing plant.
- Middle-class NYC apartment complex sold at auction
(AP)
AP - The developer of a high profile middle-class Harlem apartment complex has lost ownership of the property after defaulting on the mortgage.
- Democrats look to resurrect college aid plan
(AP)
AP - Congressional Democrats want a stalled overhaul of college aid programs to get strapped onto a fast-track health care bill, giving both Obama administration priorities a better chance of passage.
- Borrowers wait for answers on Obama loan plan
(AP)
AP - Hundreds of thousands of homeowners are in limbo waiting to find out if they will be accepted for the Obama administration's foreclosure prevention program.
- Obama's proposed student loan overhaul gets boost
(Reuters)
Reuters - President Barack Obama's stalled bid to overhaul the federal student loan program by cutting subsidies to private lenders and increasing aid to students received a boost on Friday.
- Wells Fargo, Baltimore in talks after mortgage suit
(Reuters)
Reuters - Wells Fargo & Co said on Friday it is in talks with Baltimore officials that could avert further litigation by that city over the bank's mortgage lending practices.
- "Cash for keys" aids home borrowers, investors
(Reuters)
Reuters - Jon Daurio, chief executive officer of mortgage investor Kondaur Capital Corp., recently offered a $4,000 check to Barry Culver for the deed to his Bryan, Ohio house.