Unemployment increases to 9.9% for April, 290k jobs added
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today that the unemployment rate jumped to 9.9% in April despite 290,000 jobs being added. This was the biggest increase in employment in 4 years. The fact that the unemployment rate increased despite the large increase in employment indicates that more people continue to enter the workforce.
Let’s breakdown the numbers: Read more
Case-Shiller Index: Home prices drop 0.9% In February
Home prices in the Top 20 Metropolitan Areas declined 0.9% in February, according to the Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller Index. It was the fifth consecutive monthly drop. The big winner was San Diego with a 0.6% increase over January. Portland suffered a 2.4% drop over the previous month. The biggest loser in this current market downturn continues to be Las Vegas where prices are off 56.0% from their peak. Las Vegas suffered a 0.4% decrease over January. Overall, home prices in the Top 20 Metropolitan Areas were down 30.3% from their July, 2006 peak .
Here’s a look at how the individual Top 20 Metropolitan Areas are performing: Read more
Unemployment stays at 9.7% for March
The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported today that the unemployment rate stayed at 9.7% in March with 162,000 jobs being added. This was the biggest increase in employment in 3 years. The fact that the unemployment rate did not change seems to indicate that more people are entering the workforce.
Let’s breakdown the numbers: Read more
Case-Shiller Index: Home prices drop 0.4% In January
Home prices in the Top 20 Metropolitan Areas declined 0.4% in January, according to the Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller Index. It was the fourth consecutive monthly drop. The big winner was Los Angeles with a 0.9% increase over December. The biggest loser in this current market downturn continues to be Las Vegas where prices are off 55.8% from their peak. Las Vegas suffered a 0.5% decrease over December. Overall, home prices in the Top 20 Metropolitan Areas were down 29.6% from their July, 2006 peak .
Here’s a look at how the individual Top 20 Metropolitan Areas are performing: Read more
Deceptive car dealer advertising tactic
It’s a wonder how anyone can stand to buy a new car from some of these sleazy automobile dealerships. In scanning the car dealer advertisements in the paper for the last few weeks, I noticed what could be a new deceptive tactic to bring in customers. On the other hand, maybe I am a little late to the game in noticing this unethical practice. Read more
