Mortgage market poised for a big test

Support for the housing market that collapsed three years ago, undermining the nation's credit system, has come in the form of low Federal Reserve bank-to-bank interest rates, Treasury Department support for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the Fed's $1.25 trillion mortgage-backed securities purchasing program and other measures. But the Treasury stopped buying mortgage-backed securities in December and the Fed plans to stop March 31, The Washington Post reported Monday.

U.S. markets turn higher Monday

President Barack Obama's proposals to restrict commercial banks from risky lending and expand a cap on bank liabilities shook financial stocks last week. In addition, some market analysts said a correction was due after a long stock run-up that began in March.

Mortgage market poised for a big test

Support for the housing market that collapsed three years ago, undermining the nation's credit system, has come in the form of low Federal Reserve bank-to-bank interest rates, Treasury Department support for Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the Fed's $1.25 trillion mortgage-backed securities purchasing program and other measures. But the Treasury stopped buying mortgage-backed securities in December and the Fed plans to stop March 31, The Washington Post reported Monday.

Swedish government likely to discuss Saab

Yes, the government will hold an extra meeting this afternoon about a number of issues, but the question of loan guarantees will also probably come up, Swedish enterprise deputy minister Hans Pettersson said.

$5.4 billion real estate deal goes under

Tishman Speyer Properties and BlackRock Realty purchased the Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village residential properties from Metropolitan Life in 2005 for $5.4 billion, at the time the costliest real estate deal of its kind in the country, The New York Times reported Monday.

Existing home sales loses momentum

With a spike in sales over as home buyers rushed to meet the original deadline for the end of a federal tax credit, sales of existing single homes, condominiums, townhouses and co-ops fell 16.7 percent from November to an adjusted annual rate of 6.45 million units compared to 6.54 million in November, NAR said.

March delivery crude under $75 per barrel

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 550 points Wednesday through Friday, dropping nearly 5 percent in a three-day skid. While much of the uncertainty was born of political turmoil in Washington, some analysts have said the fast run-up in stocks from March to January is due for a correction so equity markets and the economy could come into alignment.

U.S. markets turn higher Monday

President Barack Obama's proposals to restrict commercial banks from risky lending and expand a cap on bank liabilities shook financial stocks last week. In addition, some market analysts said a correction was due after a long stock run-up that began in March.

$5.4 billion real estate deal goes under

Tishman Speyer Properties and BlackRock Realty purchased the Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village residential properties from Metropolitan Life in 2005 for $5.4 billion, at the time the costliest real estate deal of its kind in the country, The New York Times reported Monday.

Swedish government likely to discuss Saab

Yes, the government will hold an extra meeting this afternoon about a number of issues, but the question of loan guarantees will also probably come up, Swedish enterprise deputy minister Hans Pettersson said.

Economic Outlook: Uncertain times

Markets tumbled for the final three sessions a week ago, the Dow Jones industrial average writing off 550 points Wednesday through Friday, with news from Washington bumping into (not to say hip-checking) a solid recovery that pulled the Dow Jones industrial average from a March low of 6,547.20 to 10,745.23 on Tuesday.

Report: GM has deal with Spyker for Saab

Citing several people close to the negotiations, The Financial Times reported Sunday that GM will shelve plans to close Saab and instead sell it to the Dutch firm in a deal that could be announced as soon as Monday.