The latest data from Zillow indicate that American homes will have lost more value by the end of this year than they did in 2009 – down a total of $1.7 trillion in 2010 vs. a $1 trillion decline a year ago. Richard Florida produced a helpful chart of the 2010 decline by region (click to enlarge), showing how uneven the fall was this year – four regional areas were actually up:
It might be time for the Fed to take a pause on rate cuts
A future view of the banks will be among the topics at our free Next Invest online conference March 20 and 21.
In the span of just three weeks, we have seen oil prices spike, other commodities plunge, and interest rates surge as rate cut assumptions have been turned upside down. Nonetheless, in the month of March, US stock indices are down by less than 5%.
If you want to be like Warren Buffett and be greedy when others are fearful, the level of continued market apprehension may make the case for buying stocks.
