Tag

Eurozone

Late Summer Stock Market & The Uncertainty Factor

“The Six Week Status Quo?” Just because I don’t predict what’s going to happen in the stock market doesn’t mean I don’t attempt to analyse it. So, here’s my (short-term) analysis: The #1 problem vexing the stock market is the Eurozone crisis. Europe — or at least its decision-making VIP-types — famously go on vacation...
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Plunging Interest Rates: How Will it Affect Housing?

From “Super-Low” to “Outrageously, Absurdly Low” Wait a second — haven’t mortgage rates been, like, dirt cheap since . . . forever? And haven’t interest rates paid on savings been infinitesimal for practically just as long? Well, yes. But, as a result of further Euro zone deterioration last week — and the resulting flight to quality/safety — interest...
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Refinance Redux, or, “Thanks, Greece!”

Cost-Benefit Criterion “Quitting smoking is easy.  I’ve done it lots of times.” OK, so refinancing isn’t completely painless — there are some fees involved, and some paperwork to fill out (natch). But, the operative question to ask isn’t, “how long has it been since I refinanced?” or even “how much will it cost?” Rather, it’s...
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S&P Places EuroZone on Credit Watch

“Pot Calling the Kettle Black” — Updated “God is dead.” –Nietzsche “Nietzsche is dead.” –God In a nutshell, that’s my reaction to the news that Standard & Poor’s has put a majority of the Eurozone countries on alert for a credit ratings downgrade. That would be the same S&P that took payment from Wall Street to...
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Missed the Tax Credit? Lucky You

Did the Late Bird Get the Worm?? Although I take issue with some of the math underlying the analysis, there’s no denying that the drop in interest rates since April 30 — thanks to the Eurozone crisis — has at least partially offset the benefit(s) associated with now-expired home buyer tax credits. Missing the tax...
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Flight to Safety = Rate Drop

Market Melt-Down Creates Refinancing Opportunity No, it’s not good when already volatile markets lurch downward like they’ve done the last couple days. However, astute financial observers know that such turbulence is also accompanied by a “flight to safety” — in this case, U.S. debt. Doesn’t the U.S. have a $13 trillion (and counting) deficit, and...
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