Daily Quotes Sept. 24 2010!
"As long as a person doesn't admit he's defeated, he is not
defeated-he's just a little behind, and isn't through fighting."
-- Darrell Royal, football coach
"Character may be manifested in the great moments, but it is made in the
small ones."
-- Phillips Brooks
"Be awful nice to 'em goin' up, because you're gonna meet 'em all comin' down."
-- Jimmy Durante, Singer
"The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what
direction we are moving."
-- Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., Supreme Court justice
"The most common cause of executive failure is inability or
unwillingness to change with the demands of a new position. The
executive who keeps on doing what he has done successfully before is
almost bound to fail."
-- Peter Drucker, management expert
All "Betts" on Brian! The Only Relator you want!
Friday, September 24, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Daily Quotes!
Daily Quotes Sept. 23 2010!
"You read a book from beginning to end. You run a business the opposite
way. You start with the end, and then you do everything you must to
reach it."
-- Harold Geneen, industrialist
"Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to
know whether you did it or not."
-- Oprah Winfrey, talk-show host
"The most critical thing I think business leaders and future business
leaders need to understand is to stay focused on the things that you can
control and influence, and then execute, execute, execute."
-- John Chambers, Cisco CEO
"You must do the things today that others will not do so that you can
have the things tomorrow that others will not have."
-- Anonymous
"The moment you commit and quit holding back, all sorts of unforeseen
incidents, meetings and material assistance, will rise up to help you.
The simple act of commitment is a powerful magnet for help."
-- Napoleon Hill, Pioneer of Personal Achievement Philosophy
All "Betts" on Brian! The Only Realtor you want!
"You read a book from beginning to end. You run a business the opposite
way. You start with the end, and then you do everything you must to
reach it."
-- Harold Geneen, industrialist
"Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody's going to
know whether you did it or not."
-- Oprah Winfrey, talk-show host
"The most critical thing I think business leaders and future business
leaders need to understand is to stay focused on the things that you can
control and influence, and then execute, execute, execute."
-- John Chambers, Cisco CEO
"You must do the things today that others will not do so that you can
have the things tomorrow that others will not have."
-- Anonymous
"The moment you commit and quit holding back, all sorts of unforeseen
incidents, meetings and material assistance, will rise up to help you.
The simple act of commitment is a powerful magnet for help."
-- Napoleon Hill, Pioneer of Personal Achievement Philosophy
All "Betts" on Brian! The Only Realtor you want!
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Daily Quotes!
Daily Quotes Sept. 22 2010!
"Succeeding is not really a life experience that does much good. Failing
is a much more sobering and enlightening experience."
-- Michael Eisner, executive
"Imagination grows by exercise and, contrary to common belief, is more
powerful in the mature than in the young."
-- Paul McCartney, musician
"As a coach, your high standards of performance, attention to detail
and-above all-how hard you work set the stage for how your players
perform."
-- Don Shula, Football Coach
"A man learns to skate by staggering about making a fool of himself;
indeed, he progresses in all things by making a fool of himself."
-- George Bernard Shaw, Writer and Critic
"There's been nothing but discipline, discipline, discipline all my life."
-- Celine Dion, singer
All "Betts" on Brian! The Only Realtor you want!
"Succeeding is not really a life experience that does much good. Failing
is a much more sobering and enlightening experience."
-- Michael Eisner, executive
"Imagination grows by exercise and, contrary to common belief, is more
powerful in the mature than in the young."
-- Paul McCartney, musician
"As a coach, your high standards of performance, attention to detail
and-above all-how hard you work set the stage for how your players
perform."
-- Don Shula, Football Coach
"A man learns to skate by staggering about making a fool of himself;
indeed, he progresses in all things by making a fool of himself."
-- George Bernard Shaw, Writer and Critic
"There's been nothing but discipline, discipline, discipline all my life."
-- Celine Dion, singer
All "Betts" on Brian! The Only Realtor you want!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Daily Quotes!
Daily Quotes Sept. 21 2010!
"Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want
to, when all they need is one reason why they can."
-- Willis R. Whitney
"When everybody tells you that you are being idealistic or impractical,
consider the possibility that everybody could be wrong about what is
right for you."
-- Gilbert Kaplan
"During my 87 years, I have witnessed a whole succession of
technological revolutions. But none of them has done away with the need
for character in the individual or the ability to think."
-- Bernard Baruch, financier
"You get the best out of others when you get the best out of yourself."
-- Harvey Firestone, tire executive
"Make the workmanship surpass the materials."
-- Ovid, Poet
All "Betts" on Brian! The Only Realtor you want!
"Some men have thousands of reasons why they cannot do what they want
to, when all they need is one reason why they can."
-- Willis R. Whitney
"When everybody tells you that you are being idealistic or impractical,
consider the possibility that everybody could be wrong about what is
right for you."
-- Gilbert Kaplan
"During my 87 years, I have witnessed a whole succession of
technological revolutions. But none of them has done away with the need
for character in the individual or the ability to think."
-- Bernard Baruch, financier
"You get the best out of others when you get the best out of yourself."
-- Harvey Firestone, tire executive
"Make the workmanship surpass the materials."
-- Ovid, Poet
All "Betts" on Brian! The Only Realtor you want!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Daily Quotes!
Daily Quotes Sept. 20 2010!
"To get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with."
-- Mark Twain, Author
"There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm."
-- Willa Cather, author
"Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions."
-- Albert Einstein, Physicist
"Every successful man I have heard of has done the best he could with
conditions as he found them, and not waited until the next year for
better."
-- Edgar Howe
"The key to successful time management is doing the most important task
first, and giving it your full concentration, to the exclusion of
everything else."
-- Alex MacKenzie
All "Betts" on Brian! The Only Realtor you want!
"To get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with."
-- Mark Twain, Author
"There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm."
-- Willa Cather, author
"Your imagination is your preview of life's coming attractions."
-- Albert Einstein, Physicist
"Every successful man I have heard of has done the best he could with
conditions as he found them, and not waited until the next year for
better."
-- Edgar Howe
"The key to successful time management is doing the most important task
first, and giving it your full concentration, to the exclusion of
everything else."
-- Alex MacKenzie
All "Betts" on Brian! The Only Realtor you want!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Daily Quotes!
Daily Quotes Sept. 17 2010!
"Making a decision usually means taking one of two roads. One is doing
the right thing. To take the other road, you have to sit back and spin a
story around the decision or action you are taking. If you find yourself
thinking up an elaborate justification for what you are doing, you are
not doing the right thing."
-- Wayne Sales
"A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with. A
man is what he makes of himself."
-- Alexander Graham Bell, inventor
"Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you
are doing the impossible."
-- Francis of Assisi, clergyman
"Throughout the centuries, there were men who took first steps, down new
roads, armed with nothing but their own vision."
-- Ayn Rand, Novelist
"Set higher standards for you own performance than anyone around you,
and it won't matter whether you have a tough boss or an easy one. It
won't matter whether the competition is pushing you hard, because you'll
be competing with yourself."
-- Rick Pitino
All "Betts" on Brian! The Only Realtor you want!
"Making a decision usually means taking one of two roads. One is doing
the right thing. To take the other road, you have to sit back and spin a
story around the decision or action you are taking. If you find yourself
thinking up an elaborate justification for what you are doing, you are
not doing the right thing."
-- Wayne Sales
"A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with. A
man is what he makes of himself."
-- Alexander Graham Bell, inventor
"Start by doing what's necessary, then what's possible, and suddenly you
are doing the impossible."
-- Francis of Assisi, clergyman
"Throughout the centuries, there were men who took first steps, down new
roads, armed with nothing but their own vision."
-- Ayn Rand, Novelist
"Set higher standards for you own performance than anyone around you,
and it won't matter whether you have a tough boss or an easy one. It
won't matter whether the competition is pushing you hard, because you'll
be competing with yourself."
-- Rick Pitino
All "Betts" on Brian! The Only Realtor you want!
Thursday, September 16, 2010
For the week of September 13, 2010
For the week of September 13, 2010
INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE
Market Update
Last week included a few interesting takes on where things are at in the housing market. We first got the news that purchase mortgage applications last week were at their highest level since May, UP 6.3% over the week before. It's nice to see buying interest starting to rebound after the tax credit expiration. But we do have a bit of a way to go, as last week's number was still 38.8% below where it was a year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
One source of new buyers for sure is the huge number of people for whom homes are now way more affordable. For families making the national median income, the share of homes they can afford stayed above 70% for the sixth quarter in a row as tracked by the Housing Opportunity Index (HOI). The National Association of Home Builders, which co-sponsors the HOI, said this affordability was the result of low home prices and favorable mortgage rates. The NAHB chairman commented, "Homeownership is within reach of more households than it has been for almost a generation...with house prices starting to stabilize, conditions are beginning to draw homebuyers back into the market..."
Review of Last Week
SQUEAKING UP... We had just four days of trading last week for investors to show us how they feel about the economic prospects going forward. Coming back from Labor Day, stocks sank on Tuesday, with the Dow 147 points down. But during the next three days, traders slowly pushed prices back up enough that all three major stock indexes squeaked into positive territory for the second week in a row. And the Dow remains UP for the year.
It was an unusually quiet week for economic news but, as usual, both positive and negative information competed for our attention. Wednesday, the Fed released its latest Beige Book containing economic views from the 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks. They noted continued growth but with widespread signs of a deceleration. Hiring is being held down by the availability of part time workers, home sales have slowed since the tax credit, and manufacturing is expanding at a slower pace. But commercial real estate shows signs of stabilizing, consumer spending is up despite cautious attitudes, and travel and tourism are up.
Thursday's news included a $7 billion drop in the trade deficit for July, the rest of the world buying $2.8 billion more U.S. goods and services than they did in June. New weekly unemployment claims continue to drop, by 27,000, to 451,000. This is still not a great number but at least it's trending in the right direction. Most experts feel that the employment situation is closely tied to the health of the housing market.
For the week, the Dow ended UP 0.1%, to 10462.77; the S&P 500 was UP 0.5%, to 1109.55; and the Nasdaq was UP 0.4%, to 2242.48.
The bond market had an up-and-down time of it over the four days, finishing off at the lows. The FNMA 30-year 4.0% bond we watch ended down 23 basis points for the week, closing at $102.04. Freddie Mac's weekly survey showed national average mortgage rates still historically low, but leveling out. Three out of four mortgage types they track were flat or increased slightly over the prior week.
This Week’s Forecast
THE BIG ECONOMIC PICTURE (ALMOST)... We get lots of economic news this week, the sole exception being any reports on our beloved housing market. There's Retail Sales on Tuesday, expected to still be up, though at a slower pace. Wednesday has manufacturing, which continues its slow but steady recovery, as measured by the Empire State Index, Industrial Production, and Capacity Utilization. We get wholesale inflation with the Producer Price Index and inflation for the rest of us with the Consumer Price Index, both of which should show prices under control and deflation not a threat. We end with University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment, expected to reveal a lessening of fear over a double-dip recession.
The Week’s Economic Indicator Calendar
Weaker than expected economic data tends to send bond prices up and interest rates down, while positive data points to lower bond prices and rising loan rates.
Federal Reserve Watch
Forecasting Federal Reserve policy changes in coming months Last week's Fed Beige Book didn't alter the opinions of any economists, who overwhelmingly believe the Fed will keep rates low well into next year. A boost in inflation or the recovery could change things of course. Note: In the lower chart, a 1% probability of change is a 99% certainty the rate will stay the same.
All "Betts" on Brian! The Only Realtor you want!
INFO THAT HITS US WHERE WE LIVE
Market Update
Last week included a few interesting takes on where things are at in the housing market. We first got the news that purchase mortgage applications last week were at their highest level since May, UP 6.3% over the week before. It's nice to see buying interest starting to rebound after the tax credit expiration. But we do have a bit of a way to go, as last week's number was still 38.8% below where it was a year ago, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.
One source of new buyers for sure is the huge number of people for whom homes are now way more affordable. For families making the national median income, the share of homes they can afford stayed above 70% for the sixth quarter in a row as tracked by the Housing Opportunity Index (HOI). The National Association of Home Builders, which co-sponsors the HOI, said this affordability was the result of low home prices and favorable mortgage rates. The NAHB chairman commented, "Homeownership is within reach of more households than it has been for almost a generation...with house prices starting to stabilize, conditions are beginning to draw homebuyers back into the market..."
Review of Last Week
SQUEAKING UP... We had just four days of trading last week for investors to show us how they feel about the economic prospects going forward. Coming back from Labor Day, stocks sank on Tuesday, with the Dow 147 points down. But during the next three days, traders slowly pushed prices back up enough that all three major stock indexes squeaked into positive territory for the second week in a row. And the Dow remains UP for the year.
It was an unusually quiet week for economic news but, as usual, both positive and negative information competed for our attention. Wednesday, the Fed released its latest Beige Book containing economic views from the 12 regional Federal Reserve Banks. They noted continued growth but with widespread signs of a deceleration. Hiring is being held down by the availability of part time workers, home sales have slowed since the tax credit, and manufacturing is expanding at a slower pace. But commercial real estate shows signs of stabilizing, consumer spending is up despite cautious attitudes, and travel and tourism are up.
Thursday's news included a $7 billion drop in the trade deficit for July, the rest of the world buying $2.8 billion more U.S. goods and services than they did in June. New weekly unemployment claims continue to drop, by 27,000, to 451,000. This is still not a great number but at least it's trending in the right direction. Most experts feel that the employment situation is closely tied to the health of the housing market.
For the week, the Dow ended UP 0.1%, to 10462.77; the S&P 500 was UP 0.5%, to 1109.55; and the Nasdaq was UP 0.4%, to 2242.48.
The bond market had an up-and-down time of it over the four days, finishing off at the lows. The FNMA 30-year 4.0% bond we watch ended down 23 basis points for the week, closing at $102.04. Freddie Mac's weekly survey showed national average mortgage rates still historically low, but leveling out. Three out of four mortgage types they track were flat or increased slightly over the prior week.
This Week’s Forecast
THE BIG ECONOMIC PICTURE (ALMOST)... We get lots of economic news this week, the sole exception being any reports on our beloved housing market. There's Retail Sales on Tuesday, expected to still be up, though at a slower pace. Wednesday has manufacturing, which continues its slow but steady recovery, as measured by the Empire State Index, Industrial Production, and Capacity Utilization. We get wholesale inflation with the Producer Price Index and inflation for the rest of us with the Consumer Price Index, both of which should show prices under control and deflation not a threat. We end with University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment, expected to reveal a lessening of fear over a double-dip recession.
The Week’s Economic Indicator Calendar
Weaker than expected economic data tends to send bond prices up and interest rates down, while positive data points to lower bond prices and rising loan rates.
Federal Reserve Watch
Forecasting Federal Reserve policy changes in coming months Last week's Fed Beige Book didn't alter the opinions of any economists, who overwhelmingly believe the Fed will keep rates low well into next year. A boost in inflation or the recovery could change things of course. Note: In the lower chart, a 1% probability of change is a 99% certainty the rate will stay the same.
All "Betts" on Brian! The Only Realtor you want!
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