CNNMoney: Fed: Economy weakening but no sign of recession

EYES ON THE FED
Fed: Economy weakening but no sign of recession
By Chris Isidore @CNNMoney October 19, 2011: 2:46 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- The economy is losing steam across much of the nation, but is still growing and not in recession, according to the latest outlook from the Federal Reserve.

CNNMoney: Hedge funds suffer worst quarter since 2008

Hedge funds suffer worst quarter since 2008
By Hibah Yousuf October 19, 2011: 2:12 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Feeling blue about the hit your portfolio took last quarter? You're not alone. Hedge funds also had a lousy third quarter, delivering one of the worst performances on record.

SG: Eco Analysis - US Housing Activity: Multifamily mayhem (B. Jones)

Eco Analysis - US Housing Activity: Multifamily mayhem (B. Jones)

■ Powered by a surge in multifamily activity, housing starts jumped to 17-month high

The number of new housing units started jumped by 15.0% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 658,000 in September, following upward-revised tallies of 615,000 in July and 572,000 in August. The reported figure exceeded the consensus expectation (590,000) by a country mile and represented the strongest activity since April 2010 (687,000). Reflecting solid demand for rental dwellings, multifamily starts soared by 51.3% to 233,000, accounting for all but a fraction of last month's rise. Single-family starts, climbed by a comparatively modest 1.7% to 425,000, essentially matching the July-August average.

USA Today: Student loans outstanding will exceed $1 trillion this year

Student loans outstanding will exceed $1 trillion this year
By Dennis Cauchon, USA TODAY
2011.10.19 12:15 AM

Students and workers seeking retraining are borrowing extraordinary amounts of money through federal loan programs, potentially putting a huge burden on the backs of young people looking for jobs and trying to start careers.

Reuters: French credit review threatens euro zone rescues

French credit review threatens euro zone rescues
By Paul Taylor and Nicholas Vinocur
PARIS | Tue Oct 18, 2011 4:38am EDT

(Reuters) - Moody's decision to review France's triple-A credit rating cast new doubt on Tuesday on Europe's hopes of drawing a line under its sovereign debt crisis, five days before a crucial EU summit.

Bloomberg: Home Short Sales Rise in ‘Dramatic Shift’ That May Boost Prices

Home Short Sales Rise in ‘Dramatic Shift’ That May Boost Prices
By Kathleen M. Howley - 2011.10.17 09:01 PM

U.S. home prices may get a boost from an unlikely source: a pickup in sales of properties in default before they reach the stage where they are repossessed by the bank and sold.

NYT: In an Earlier Time of Boom and Bust, Rentals Also Gained Favor

THE APPRAISAL
In an Earlier Time of Boom and Bust, Rentals Also Gained Favor
By DIANE CARDWELL
Published: October 17, 2011

During the boom years in Manhattan real estate, credit was easy, speculators developed building after building to meet rising demand for apartments, and values kept climbing, fed by a flurry of resales. But then Wall Street plummeted and the housing market followed suit, as values deflated and apartment sales came to a standstill.

Algae eyed as biofuel, animal feed

http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/235619/scitech/algae-eyed-as-biofuel-animal-feed

Algae eyed as biofuel, animal feed
October 17, 2011 9:59am

The lowly algae may soon be a useful biofuel and a source of animal feeds but only if the agricultural and energy sectors focus their efforts on tapping it.

Bloomberg: Hedge Funds Add to Raw-Material Bets in Biggest Rally of 2011: Commodities

Hedge Funds Add to Raw-Material Bets in Biggest Rally of 2011: Commodities
By Whitney McFerron - 2011.10.16 06:19 PM

Speculators boosted their wagers on higher commodity prices for the first time in five weeks as increasing confidence that the global economy will avoid another recession spurred the biggest rally of the year.

USA Today: Low mortgage rates are nice if you can get 'em

USA Today: Low mortgage rates are nice if you can get 'em
By Diana Olick, CNBC.com
2011.10.15 08:07 AM

For weeks now we've been touting new record-low rates on 15- and 30-year fixed mortgages.