_Economy and Finance

http://realestateinvesting.com/ Do You Know About Mezzanine Debt? March 30, 2012 By RealEstateInvesting.com Commercial lending can get complicated, especially when dealing with debt. Check out this article below that will fill you in on a type of loan called “mezzanine” debt. Read all about it below.

CNNMoney Low-ball appraisal: Mortgage denied By Les Christie @CNNMoney March 30, 2012: 5:28 AM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- You find the home of your dreams. You're pre-approved for a mortgage. You've scheduled the closing. Then ... the appraisal comes in too low and the deal blows up.

Bloomberg Orders for Durable Goods in U.S. Show Sustained Demand: Economy By Timothy R. Homan - Mar 28, 2012 08:50 AM Orders placed with U.S. factories for durable goods rose in February for a fourth month in the last five, signaling manufacturing will remain a source of strength for the expansion.

Durable goods orders rise 2.2% in February WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. companies ordered more long-lasting goods last month, showing businesses are willing to buy equipment and machinery even after an investment tax credit was halved.

FORTUNE Bill Gross says it's time for investors to plan a "Great Escape" By Stephen Gandel, senior editor March 28, 2012: 5:00 AM ET Bond king Bill Gross says it's time to get your portfolio ready for a long-period of lower market returns. FORTUNE -- Apparently, Bill Gross picks movies as well as investments. Bond investor Gross, who runs the world's largest mutual fund Pimco Total Return (PTTRX), is known for his quirky letters to investors. In the past he has dispensed love advice (specifically for Europe) and written about why he hates automatic flush toilets. His letter this month, which came out on Tuesday, instead offers movie advice. Gross' big screen pick is The Great Escape.

http://www.realert.com/ Fee Scorecard for High-Yield Real Estate Funds High-Yield Debt

MarketWatch Market Pulse Archives March 27, 2012, 4:39 p.m. EDT Bernanke says he is sleeping a little better By Greg Robb WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke said Tuesday that he is sleeping a little better at night because "things are moving in the right direction." In an interview with ABC's Diane Sawyer to air Tuesday night on "World News," Bernanke said the financial system looks stronger. But Bernanke said it is important not to be "complacent." The Fed chairman said gas prices pose only a "moderate" risk to growth. He said the Fed should not change policy too quickly. Bernanke said he was not taking any options off the table. He said the Fed saying that rates would stay exceptionally low until late 2014 was not a guarantee. "If things get a lot stronger or weaker, we'll have to change our plans," he said.

ABC News Radio EXCLUSIVE: Federal Reserve Chief Ben Bernanke on the Economy (WASHINGTON) -- The U.S. economy is "stronger and more stable" than it was a year ago and the financial stress in Europe is easing, but many challenges remain including adding more jobs for the long-term unemployed and getting the housing market back on track, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said in an ABC News interview Tuesday. [See the full transcript of Bernanke's exclusive interview with ABC News' Diane Sawyer]

CNNMoney Bernanke: Job gains present economic 'puzzle' By Annalyn Censky @CNNMoney March 26, 2012: 10:51 AM ET WASHINGTON (CNNMoney) -- Stronger job growth has brought "good news" recently, but overall, it remains "out of sync" with the modest growth of the U.S. economy, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke said Monday.

Bloomberg Pimco’s Gross Says Fed May ‘Hint’ at QE3 at April Meeting By Wes Goodman - Mar 25, 2012 09:54 PM Bill Gross, who runs the world’s biggest bond fund at Pacific Investment Management Co., said the Federal Reserve will probably signal it plans to arrange a third round of debt purchases when policy makers meet in April.

Bloomberg Hedge Funds Make Wrong-Way Bets for a Fourth Week: Commodities By Joe Richter - Mar 25, 2012 9:21 PM Hedge funds wagered the wrong way on commodity prices for a fourth consecutive week, boosting bullish holdings just before reports showing a contraction in manufacturing from China to Europe drove prices lower.

Bloomberg China Soft Landing May Be Hard for Commodity Exporters By Bloomberg News - 2012.03.25 06:41 PM The good news: China’s government will engineer a soft landing. The bad news: Even a soft landing is painful for industries that have become dependent on the world’s fastest-growing major economy as their main profit engine.

Bloomberg Hedge Funds Capitulating Buy Most Stocks Since 2010 By Nikolaj Gammeltoft and Whitney Kisling - 2012.03.25 03:00 PM Hedge funds trailing the Standard & Poor’s 500 (SPX) Index for the last five months are giving up on bearish bets and buying stocks at the fastest rate in two years.

Bernanke Sees Need for Higher Household Spending to Fuel Growth By Joshua Zumbrun - 2012.03.22 08:08 PM Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke said the U.S. economy is operating below its level prior to the financial crisis, and that increased household spending is needed to sustain the expansion.

Bloomberg U.S. Outlook Optimism at Eight-Year High: Economy By Alex Kowalski and Shobhana Chandra - 2012.03.22 12:11 PM The number of Americans saying the U.S. economy is getting better rose in March to the highest level since 2004 as a decline in claims for unemployment benefits offered more evidence of a labor-market recovery.

USA TODAY Mar 21, 2012 Analysis: More drilling hasn't lowered gasoline prices By Michael Winter, USA TODAY Analyzing 36 years of gasoline prices and U.S. oil production, the Associated Press finds no statistical correlation between how much is pumped out of the ground and how much is paid at the pump.

USA Today Existing homes sales dip in February WASHINGTON (AP) – U.S. home sales are gradually coming back. A mild winter and a stronger job market have helped boost sales ahead of the crucial spring buying season.

CNNMoney Investors feast on popularity of 'The Hunger Games' By Chris Isidore @CNNMoney Markets March 21, 2012: 9:51 AM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Teenagers love "The Hunger Games," a hot trilogy of books about to hit theaters. But the biggest fans may be from an older generation -- investors.

CNNMoney Home buying much cheaper than renting By Les Christie @CNNMoney March 21, 2012: 5:13 PM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- It's the eternal question in real estate: Should I buy or rent?

NYT March 21, 2012, 12:24 pm Mergers & Acquisitions Korean Oil Firm Is Part of Group Buying El Paso Assets By MICHAEL J. DE LA MERCED The consortium of firms buying the El Paso Corporation’s exploration and production businesses has grown a little larger and has drawn overseas interest.

CNNMoney The Buzz The fake housing recovery By Paul R. La Monica @lamonicabuzz March 20, 2012: 12:40 PM ET An ETF of home builder stocks is trouncing the broader market. But that may not necessarily mean housing has bottomed. Many of the stocks in the ETF are NOT builders. NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- When is a homebuilder not a homebuilder? When it's in an index of homebuilder stocks, of course!

Real Estate Apartment Nation: Trend to Multi-Family Housing Continues By Peter Coy March 20, 2012 The U.S. is a long way from Germany, where only 42 percent of families are homeowners. But construction of multi-family units is growing faster than construction of single-family homes—a trend confirmed today by the Census Bureau’s monthly report on residential construction. http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-03-20/apartment-nation-trend-to-multi-family-housing-continues

USA Today Housing starts drop in February, but building permits rise By Derek Kravitz, Associated Press WASHINGTON – U.S. builders are betting that the housing market is finally on the path back to health.

FORTUNE The one number to watch for a housing recovery By Nin-Hai Tseng, Writer March 20, 2012: 5:00 AM ET If you're waiting for home prices to go up, then you're missing signs the troubled housing market has finally turned around.

Copper Mining in Chile Katarzyna Staniewska / Chile For many a century, mining – and especially copper mining – has played an important part in the Chilean economy. Chile’s copper mines are mostly situated in the Atacama Desert. As of now, they experience a boom due to the ever-increasing demand on copper worldwide. But while the mines of today are still expanding, in future decades copper recycling and substitution will make necessary a re-orientation of the Chilean economy.

CNNMoney Foreclosures fall, but there's a 'rising tide' ahead By Les Christie @CNNMoney March 15, 2012: 9:07 AM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The number of homes entering foreclosure dropped in February, but a new up-turn may soon be on its way.

USA TODAY U.S. solar and wind industries expand By Wendy Koch, USA TODAY Despite last year's bankruptcies of several solar manufacturers, including government-backed Solyndra, the U.S. solar and wind industries continue to expand in the face of obstacles this year.

http://sf.curbed.com/archives/2012/03/08/pacific_telephone_building_scraps_plans_for_condos_moves_on_to_office_space.php Pacific Telephone Building Scraps Plans For Condos, Moves On To Office Space Thursday, March 8, 2012, by Alex Bevk Back in 2007, developers Wilson Meany Sullivan (of Ferry Building and One Powell fame) acquired the Timothy Pfleuger art deco skycraper at 140 New Montgomery Street. Known as the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph Building, the tower was one of the tallest skyscrapers on the West Coast at the time it was constructed in 1925. The developers had grand plans to renovate the building into luxury condos, and even got through the permitting and entitlements labyrinth in 2008. Unfortunately for them, the plans were hatched right before the recession, and the loss of funding cause the project to stall out for the past four years.

http://www.socketsite.com/archives/2012/03/140_new_montgomery_the_more_things_change.html 140 New Montgomery: The More Things Change... Five years ago Wilson Meany Sullivan purchased the 26-story Pacific Telephone Building at 140 New Montgomery for $345 a square foot with plans to spend an additional $500 a square foot converting it from an office building to a five-star hotel and condominium tower, with a spa, restaurant and bar.

Bloomberg Euro-Region Economy Shrank in Fourth Quarter as Investment, Exports Fell By Gabi Thesing - 2012.03.06 03:03 AM Europe’s economy contracted in the fourth quarter as investment declined by the most since 2009 and exports and consumer spending dropped.

USA Today Survey finds uptick in economic optimism By Christopher S. Rugaber, The Associated Press The U.S. economy is improving faster than economists had expected. They now foresee slightly stronger growth and hiring than they did two months earlier.