Housing Market

Kmart Helps Sears Post Smaller Loss

Reuters| Markets

… toys and the assumption of Footstar's footwear business. Same-store sales at Sears, which depends more on the housing market due its Craftsman tools and Kenmore appliances, fell 4.6%. Together, holding company same-store sales fell …

Story|11/19/2009

Housing Market Remains Choppy: Pulte CEO

By By John Spence| MarketWatch Pulse| Markets

… By John Spence MarketWatch Pulse BOSTON -- Pulte Homes Inc. Chief Executive Richard Dugas on Wednesday said the housing market is "still somewhat choppy" based on new-home sales and other data. "We do still have problems with move-up …

Story|11/18/2009

Slow Rate Hikes Of '04 May Haunt Fed: Bullard

By By Greg Robb| MarketWatch Pulse| Markets

… rates too low for too long in these two years and that the easy monetary policy was a major factor in creating the housing market bubble. In the past two recessions of 2001 and 1990-1991, the Fed didn't start hiking rates until roughly three …

Story|11/18/2009

Lowe's Profit Falls, Sees Housing Return in Mid 2010

Reuters| Markets

… consumers put off big renovations while the U.S. housing market remained sluggish. Lowe's, like bigger rival Home ..... Chief Executive Robert Niblock said he anticipated the housing market would start to recover by the middle of 2010, though …

Story|11/17/2009

Don't blow first-time home buyer tax credit with credit card bills

By By Marcia Frellick| CreditCards.com| Personal Finance

… previous homeowners and those formerly outside the income requirements. The expansion of the act was aimed to boost the housing market , and it appears to be working. According the National Association of Realtors, 47 percent of all Americans who …

Story|11/17/2009

Barratt Reservations Edge Higher

By By Simon Kennedy| MarketWatch Pulse| Markets

… week a year earlier, with cancellation rates of 13.4%, down from 23.7%. "While trading conditions in the housing market have improved, activity levels will remain constrained until the availability of mortgage finance increases particularly …

Story|11/17/2009

Credit Card Defaults Fall, But Delinquencies Up

Reuters| Markets

… Fairbank forecast that charge-offs will keep rising and remain elevated throughout 2010, hurt by weakness in the housing market and job losses. Bank of America's delinquency rate inched up to 7.59% from 7.53%, and Discover's rose …

Story|11/16/2009

Lowe's Quarterly Profit Falls

Reuters| Markets

… home improvement chain, posted a 30% decline in quarterly profit as consumers put off big renovations and a U.S. housing market recovery takes longer to materialize. Lowe's said it expected sales in stores open more than one year to slide …

Story|11/16/2009

More Trouble Ahead for the Condo Market?

By By Kathryn Glass| FOXBusiness| Markets

… Kathryn Glass FOXBusiness After an already turbulent two years, there could be more trouble on the horizon for the housing market . The condominium market is struggling to absorb excess inventory as a result of speculation during the boom, especially …

Story|11/13/2009