_Economy and Finance

WSJ: Home Prices Tumble REAL ESTATE JANUARY 31, 2012, 7:38 P.M. ET. Home Prices Tumble U.S. home prices fell again in November, according to the Standard & Poor's Case-Shiller indexes, indicating continued struggles for the beleaguered housing market.

COPPER (Data in thousand metric tons of copper content unless otherwise noted) Domestic Production and Use : U.S. mine production of copper in 2011 increased slightly to about 1.1 million tons and its value rose to about $10 billion. Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, and Montana—in descending order of production—accounted for more than 99% of domestic mine production; copper also was recovered in Idaho and Missouri. Twenty-nine mines recovered copper, 18 of which accounted for about 99% of production. Three primary smelters, 3 electrolytic and 3 fire refineries, and 15 electrowinning facilities operated during the year. Refined copper and scrap were consumed by about 30 brass mills, 15 rod mills, and 500 foundries and miscellaneous consumers. Copper and copper alloy products were used in building construction, 45%; electric and electronic products, 23%; transportation equipment, 12%; consumer and general products, 12%; and industrial machinery and equipment, 8%.[1]

http://www.nytimes.com/ News Analysis New Report by Agency Lowers Estimates of Natural Gas in U.S. By IAN URBINA Published: January 28, 2012 WASHINGTON — Just how much natural gas is trapped underground in the United States? The difficulty and uncertainty in predicting natural gas resources was underscored last week when the Energy Information Administration released a report containing sharply lower estimates.

Savills: German office market hits three year take-up high (DE) Friday 20 January 2012 The five major German office markets of Berlin, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich ended 2011 on a three-year high in terms of take-up according to international real estate advisor Savills. The firm’s research shows that total take-up reached approximately 2.85 million m², close to 2008 levels (approx. 2.9 million m²). Compared to 2010 turnover increases are just below 7%. http://www.europe-re.com/system/main.php?pageid=2616&articleid=19509

http://money.cnn.com/2012/01/12/real_estate/foreclosures/index.htm?iid=Lead Foreclosures fall to lowest level since 2007 By Les Christie @CNNMoney January 12, 2012: 4:59 AM ET NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Foreclosure filings and repossessions fell to their lowest level since 2007 last year.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204257504577150403662707094.html?mod=rss_economy ASIA BUSINESS JANUARY 9, 2012, 7:54 A.M. ET. Soros Says World Economy Facing 'Vicious' Deflationary Cycle By RUMMAN AHMED And SUDEEP JAIN BANGALORE – George Soros, the billionaire U.S. investor, said Monday the global economy is facing a "vicious" deflationary cycle as members of the euro zone cut back sharply on spending to bring their budget deficits under control, crimping demand and squeezing prices.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/markets/story/2012-01-06/deflation-inflation-threat-to-stocks/52457310/1 Forget inflation: Is deflation the real threat? By John Waggoner, USA TODAY Ask most investors what they worry about, and they'll tell you it's inflation — specifically, a period of soaring prices that destroys the value of the dollar.