plummet

Apparently, the bug that crippled the financial industry is contagious and has now started to affect the tech industry. For weeks now, stocks and sales have been plummeting. Dell and Apple, for example, have both experienced declines of about 10-15%. And they have been unable to reverse the trend. However, the biggest surprise was Google, which experienced a shocking 50% drop in their stock prices

The U.S. home prices for August hit the lowest decline since 1999 this year, dropping 9.5 percent to a median sales average of $203,100. As the prices continue to drop, buyers are taking advantage of the discounts of today’s real estate market. The inventory of unsold homes has also declined by seven percent. If the [...]

I was reading some online news site and came across this travel article about how a mix-up in Google News on September 8 caused United Airlines stock price to plunge from $12 to $3 per share, resulting in a loss of about $1 billion on the total stock’s value. According to the news reports, a newspaper’s [...]

Mortgage Interest Rates Plummet after Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac Takeover I have been tracking mortgage interest rates for the last few months. Its always more interesting when there are drastic changes. This week we saw some of the largest changes we have seen this year. This is of course in response to the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac takeover. The 30 year mortgage rate dropped from 6.35 to 5.93

A thirty three percent decline in bulk wine shipments and 41 percent drop in tetra -pack shipments has led to a nine percent drop in the volume of Australian wine exports, reports Australian Wine and Brandy Corporation. The volume of wine exports fell to 724 million litres in the 12 months to the end of May this year, the AWBC says, while the value of overall wine exports dropped seven

According to the Mortgage Bankers Association, the volume of mortgage applications for the week that ended May 16 fell by 7.8 percent to 621.6. The week before, volume was pegged at 674.4. Breaking down the report; the refinance volume dropped by 8.7 percent for the week. Meanwhile, mortgage application for new purchases declined by 6.9 percent. [...]

The graph above confirms shows that wheat prices have actually fallen by almost 70% in the last three months from $9.36 per bushel in February to $5.54 per bushel in February, and prices are now at their lowest level in almost a year (since June 2007 when wheat was $5.34). Could this be an indication that inflation is under control and that recently soaring commodities prices will come down to...

After years in the slow lane, cars may finally be taking back the roads from sport utility vehicles and trucks. Soaring gasoline prices and flagging consumer confidence drove the industry to new depths last month, with shoppers — when they did buy — going for fuel-efficient, smaller cars. In a month that saw the lowest overall U.S. vehicle sales in 13 years, carmakers saw light-truck a

Hundreds of thousands of fall Chinook salmon normally return to the Sacramento River every year to spawn. This year, however, scientists estimate that fewer than 60,000 adult Chinook will make it back to the Sacramento River. This is far below the level needed to sustain the population. Although the reasons for the sudden decline are not completely understood, scientists have suggested that changes in ocean conditions, including unfavorable shifts in ocean temperature and food sources for juvenile salmon, may be in part responsible.

Lyfe Jennings - Lyfe Change -80,000 Roots - Rising Down - 54,000 Lil Mama - Voice Of The Young People - 19,000 Estelle - Shine - 13,511 The record label waited way too long after, “Lip... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Existing-Home Sales Decline by WSJ - snips:Existing-home sales fell during March after making a surprising climb in February. Home resales fell to a 4.93 million annual rate, a 2.0% decrease from February's unrevised 5.03 million annual pace, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. Resales fell 19% from March 2007's 6.11 million rate. The median home price was $200,700 in March, down 7.7% from $217,400 in March 2007. The median price in February this year was $195,600. Falling prices have kept would-be buyers from signing off on property as they wait for still-lower price tags... Sales fell 6.5% in the Midwest, rose 2.2% in the Northeast, rose 2.2% in the West, and fell 3.5% in the South...The Market Economist by David Rosenberg at Merrill Lynch - (Chart at Right) snip:...We e

A whisper comes into your brain Planted as a septic grain Radiating waves of doubt Thoughts you can do nowt about Worthiness goes down the pan Condemnation paints a tan Down into the mire you go Goodbye Jesus, cheerio. As you sink into despair No one loves you, no one cares All these lies are buried deep By the past that loves to weep Blame and allegations [...]

Print advertising sales plummeted a record 9.4 percent. U.S. newspapers have been facing stiff competition from both cable television and Internet advertising in a period were the economy has stiffened sales. Down 23 percent, real-estate ads is leading the drop in loss advertising sales.

Nielsen Media Research has an amazing chart showing the plummeting ratings for the evening news viewership.  This won't come as a surprise to many of us, but fewer and fewer people are watching the Network News.  I'm guessing the DVR effect isn't helping either as those who might even record the news and watch it later just skim through it. [

Chrysler has announced its intention to bring internet access to its vehicles. The functionality will be added to existing models this year, and will be followed by assembly line produced, internet ready automobiles. The connections will rely on mobile phone towers and a monthly subscription charge will be levied on those taking up the service. Talking about the development, a Chrysler spokesperson said:"We want to make the radio itself a WiFi port," whatever the hell a WiFi port is. We're guessing the spokesperson meant WiFi connectivity will be coming using a modified internal radio. Whether Chrysler will trick out their own navigation systems with an internet browser to make use of the functionality is not clear, but using WiFi instead of EDGE on your iPhone whilst driving has got to be

Realty Times - Real Estate News and Advice: "McLEAN, VA -- Freddie Mac (NYSE:FRE) today released the results of its Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS) in which the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 5.87 percent with an average 0.5 point for the week ending March 20, 2008, down from last week when it averaged 6.13 percent. Last year at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 6.16 percent."Albuquerque Real EstateRio Rancho LandAlbuquerque Real Estate News

India's gold imports in February crashed to 10 tonnes from 59 tonnes in the same month a year ago due to soaring international prices and could fall further this month, a top industry official said on Tuesday."There is barely any demand. In February, the gold imports were just 10 tonnes against 59 tonnes last year," Suresh Hundia, president of the Bombay Bullion Association, told Reuters."We think the demand will be even less in March because of the record prices."International spot gold prices were still above $1,000 an ounce, though most other commodities were tumbling as investors sold assets ranging from oil to coffee to grains to cover deepening losses in stocks and bonds.Global gold prices have risen more than 20 percent this year alone, hitting successive record highs along the way.

NEW YORK: Google Inc, whose shares have plunged more than 40 per cent since November and could fall almost another 20 per cent due to the US economic slowdown and aggressive spending by the Internet search engine company, according to the latest issue of Barron’s. Google shares dropped to a new 52-week low of $435.78 Tuesday [...]

Sounds exciting doesn’t it?  The statistic is real, but the presentation of the facts is the point.  This .3% of households number is actually a 186% increase from Jan 2007, based upon a report from RealtyTrac.com. I am getting calls every week to head out to a bank owned property and secure it.  We then clean [...]

Airports of Thailand Plc (AoT) saw its net profit for the financial year to Sept 30 nosedive 90% year-on-year to 1.09 billion baht, the lowest in five years, due mainly to the negative effects of Suvarnabhumi Airport.The 70% state-owned airport monopoly blamed the poor performance on a huge increase in depreciation costs, a jump in interest payments, and unrecognised concession fees from the duty-free operator King Power.''These three items, costing AoT more than 11 billion baht together, are largely key contributors (to the fall in profit),'' AoT senior executive vice-president Kulya Pakakrong said yesterday.Depreciation and amortisation in the period from October 2006 to September 2007 shot up 454.23% to 6.35 billion baht, as expenses related to Suvarnabhumi started to appear on the balance sheets.Bangkok's new international airport opened on Sept 28, 2006, at the very end of AoT's last financial year.An interest expense of 2.39 billion baht was paid in the past year for loans

WORDS THAT CAUSE ONE TO PLUMMET IN HELLFIRE Al-Ma’roor ibn Suwayd narrates that he once saw Abu Dharr (RA) wearing a beautiful shawl. His slave standing next to him was wearing a shawl exactly like it, warm and beautiful. Ma’roor said to Abu Dharr, “Perhaps you could take the shawl of your servant and give him another (less expensive) one.” “Never,” said Abu Dharr, “for I once had a servant whose mother was not Arab and I cussed him and his mother. That servant went to the Messenger of Allah (SAW) complaining of the words I had said. “When Rasul Allaah (SAW) saw me he commented, ‘O Abu Dharr, you are a man who still has Jahilliyyah (Pre-Islamic Ignorance) in him.’” Because of these painful words, Abu Dharr (RA) would always dress his servants in the exact same garments that he would wear. Dear brothers and sisters, Allah is disobeyed most with our tongues. There is a sin that sweeps amongst us, a sin that many take lightly, a sin that is laughed at, a sin that cou

Shares of Thornburg Mortgage Inc., a prime mortgage lender and real estate investment trust, fell in Monday trading after Standard & Poor's downgraded its credit rating Friday and as concerns in the mortgage market persist.Shares of Thornburg Mortgage lost $2.89, or 16 percent, to $15.17 in afternoon trading, and reached a 52-week low of $14.51 in earlier in the day. Shares had traded between $17.30 and $28.40 during the past year.S&P downgraded Thornburg Mortgage's long-term counterparty credit rating to "B" from "BB" Friday, citing the "unsteady state of secured financing capital markets" that the company relies upon to fund operations.

It looks like Peter Moore got out while the gettin’ was good, as Microsoft announced yesterday that their fiscal fourth quarter sales figures show a 60% drop in sales for the Xbox 360. In the earnings statement for the past quarter, Microsoft said it shipped 700,000 units during the period. This time in 2006, they shipped 1.8 Million units. All Xbox operations are handled within Microsoft’s EDD (Entertainment and Devices Division), which, due to a $1.06 Billion charge against it’s earnings that is expected from extending the Xbox 360 warranty to three years, has raised the Department’s Operating Loss 183%, to $1.20 Billion. In 2006, the EDD lost $423 Million. This news just adds to the growing pile of God awful news coming out of the Microsoft camp these past few weeks. In addition to the $1+ Billion loss from the warranty extension, and the sudden departure of Peter Moore, Microsoft has also been slapped with two seperate class-action lawsuits claiming that

With the latest broadband price cuts from pretty much every animal in the broadband zoo, Internet access in South Africa is set to soar to great heights – and the view will be good. First off the mark was MTN. Give them R399 each month and they’ll give you 2GB of data usage each month at very brisk HSDPA speeds. Vodacom promptly arrived at the now-in-full-swing party and offers the same package for R10 less, a drop of 61% from their previous rate. These rates are excellent in the international context – in fact, South Africa has one of the cheapest mobile broadband rate structures in the world. Sentech and iBurst are also in on the action, cutting prices and upping bandwidth, and although their wireless services are convenient, they lack the widespread coverage and portability of MTN and Vodacom’s mobile offerings. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that even Telkom have also now dropped their wholesale broadband prices, but alas not by much at all. The dr

I predicted in prior posts that prices for OC homes were headed downward; I just didn't realize it was going to happend this fast or with such a vengence.The median home price for all homes dropped fully 5.9% from December’s prices, lead by a precipitous drop in new home prices of nearly $188,250 or -23.8%. While I don’t have the numbers to prove it, I would speculate that a drop of 5.9% has got to the worst one of the worst month-on-month performances in all of OC history!Now, the bulls are going to are get riled up and point out that on a month-on-month basis, the prices of existent homes and condos aare flat. They’re right, they are. But looking at the data from a year-on-year and this month versus 2006 basis, the story is different.On a year on year basis, both resale houses and resale condo prices are down, .6% and 2.8%, respectively. If we compare this month’s data with all sales from 2006 (a larger sample) we also see that prices have also dropped, 3.1% for resale house

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As U.S. fuel prices head for $4 a gallon, US News and World Report takes a look-see at SUV resale values. The mag divines that weakening demand has dramatically eroded resale values. (Ya think?) Citing a CNW Marketing Research study, USN&WR says March sales of used SUVs are down 14 percent from last year, after dropping eight percent in the first two months of this year. The story also kicks some journalistic tires at used car lots, where dealers no longer want to stock large vehicles. A Sales Manager from a Florida Chrysler/Jeep dealer says "some large vehicles are dropping thousands of dollars in value each month... Anything diesel has dropped $5,000 in the past five months." So where are all the body-on-frames going? Overseas, according to the Sales Manager of a Florida Nis

August 26, 2008 With The Dow holding reasonably steady against an economic and credit environment optimistically described as uncertain, investors might assume that there are some earnings behind the index, girding share prices. But today's chart reveals a quite different picture... In Q2 2008 – for the first time ever – the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted q