Mortgage rates rose this week following investors' concerns of inflation. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose this week to 6.42 percent, up from 6.31 percent. According to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey of large lenders, the 30-year fixed rate mortgages had an average of 0.32 discount and origination points.
The Conference Board announced today that the leading index for the U.K increased 0.2 percent, and the coincident index increased 0.1 percent in August.
Varied economic indicators produced by The Conference Board are now pointing to slow growth ahead in the U.S., but not a recession, according to an analysis released today by The Conference Board, the global research and business membership organization.
Romania’s IT sector will end 2006 with a strengthened track record of continued growth and expansion, announced Romania’s General Director for Export Promotion, Minister of Commerce & Economy, Costin Lianu. Lianu noted significant market activity was generated by global IT companies entering Romania’s thriving market.
Ford Motor Co. will begin offering its previously-disclosed buyout or early retirement packages to all 75,000 of its U.S. hourly employees starting next week.
New research revealing the risks faced by migrant workers in England and Wales was presented at a South East Region Trades Union Congress conference in London. It outlines the potential for exploitation of migrants and other workers in sectors where attention to health and safety is poor, and highlights the challenges to employers, HSE and other agencies in tackling the problems.
Bargain Network, a online provider of real estate foreclosure, pre-foreclosure and for-sale-by-owner properties and information, reported today based on estimates that foreclosure activity in the third quarter of 2006 (July-to-September) climbed approximately 14 percent compared to the second quarter of 2006 (April-to-June). This also marks a 39 percent increase in foreclosure activity compared to the same quarter last year.
The U.S. property/casualty industry recorded an underwriting profit of $15.1 billion during the first six months of 2006, a 31.8% increase from the first six months of 2005, according to an exclusive A.M. Best special report excerpt in the Oct. 9 BestWeek.
The funded status of a typical U.S. pension plan fell 0.2 percent in September as liabilities rose 1.7 percent, which was faster than the 1.5 percent rise in the value of assets at a typical moderate risk benchmark portfolio, according to Mellon Financial Corporation. Mellon tracks the financial health of U.S. pension plans through its Mellon Pension Liability Indexes.
