Free Essay

Inside the Meltdown Review

In:

Submitted By matttt22
Words 14327
Pages 58
Table of Contents
Matthew Toenjes
Professor Rowland
BE 401‐004

Inside the Meltdown Review

Page 1‐3

Excel Graph and Data

Page 1‐7

Analysis of Data % Change Graph

Page 8‐13

Attached Articles

* I, Matthew Toenjes, certify that I have completed this project on my own.

Matthew Toenjes
2/17/2015
BE 401-004

Inside the Meltdown Review

The 2008 Economic Recession was devastating to many. Corporate greed and overconfidence in the housing market were the main culprits to the economic downturn. As the US economy crashed, Wall
Street and investors began to panic. This widespread panic was for good reason as huge multinational firms began to fail. One after another, these firms were about to go bankrupt. As the panic spread, stock prices began to plummet. As the US government tried to turn the economy around, it plunged further and further down. The effects of the recession not only hurt the US economy, but sent “shockwaves” throughout the world.
I did not realize how close our economy was to collapsing. Ben Bernanke said, “If we don't do this tomorrow, we won't have an economy on Monday." When I heard this, it sent chills down my spine.
How did we get so close to our economy collapsing? Toxic assets are one of the main reasons for our economy failing. These were loans given out to un-creditworthy individuals and unlikely to be repaid. To add to the problem, banks were issuing many of these high risk loans and the market became flooded with them. In addition, these toxic loans were resold which created systematic risk. Massive companies began to fail and a domino effect was created when one company after another got into trouble as people began to default on these toxic loans.
During this time, investors had lost confidence in the markets which caused the US stock market to plummet and caused credit freeze, banks were offering little to no credit. The results was a word in economic shock. I had not realize how intertwined the US economy is with the rest of the world. Many other countries were feeling the effects of our economic problems. In fact, an entire country, Iceland, went bankrupt. With a world in panic, everybody looked up to the US government to see what they were going to do to help turn the economy around. Arguably, the world economy lied in the hands of

Matthew Toenjes
2/17/2015
BE 401-004

Inside the Meltdown Review

Ben Bernanke and Henry Paulson. It would be up to these two, to find a way to save the world economy. Cooperate greed is a main reason for the crashing of the US economy. The assumption was that huge, multinational companies such as Bear Stearns and Fannie and Freddie were too big to fail. These assumptions were far from the truth. Both Bernanke and Paulson did not want government intervention, but it was looking like it was the only option to save the US economy. In addition, they were afraid that by bailing out a failing company, it would send the message that the government would bail out any large company that was failing. Thus, almost encouraging companies to continue engaging in irresponsible and risky behavior to increase their potential profits. Moral Hazard was something that had to be overlooked because if one major company went down, more would follow due to the systematic risk that was involved. The results of this can be devastating, and can be seen with the path to Lehman Brothers bankruptcy. Paulson and Bernanke tried to send a message by not bailing them out, but soon realized that this was a huge mistake.
Paulson and Bernanke did, ultimately, save the US economy this time around. However, we also learned some valuable lessons. In fact, a lot of these lessons are being taken into account on the issues with Greece and the Eurozone. Things like systematic risk and moral hazard should be taken into consideration when a government chooses to bailout a company. However, it is important to know that companies that are “too big to fail” might really be too big to fail or risk damaging the economy. Instead of letting companies engage in irresponsible behavior with the government as their lifeline, they should be encouraged to engage in responsible behavior by government incentives and legislation. Corporate greed will always be there and it is important to control it or risk sending the economy into another downward spiral.

Matthew Toenjes
2/17/2015
BE 401-004

Inside the Meltdown Review

Citations
Michael, Kirk. “Inside the Meltdown”. WGBH Education Foundation. PBS

FRED Graph Observations
Federal Reserve Economic Data
Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis

Existing Home Sales, Total Vehicle Sales, Millions of Units, Monthly, Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate
% Change Existing Home Sales

% Change Total Vehicle Sales

30.00%

5.00%

20.00%

0.00%

10.00%

‐5.00%

0.00%

1‐Sep‐2014

1‐Jun‐2014

1‐Mar‐2014

1‐Dec‐2013

1‐Sep‐2013

1‐Jun‐2013

1‐Mar‐2013

1‐Dec‐2012

1‐Sep‐2012

1‐Jun‐2012

1‐Mar‐2012

1‐Dec‐2011

1‐Sep‐2011

1‐Jun‐2011

1‐Mar‐2011

1‐Dec‐2010

1‐Sep‐2010

1‐Jun‐2010

1‐Mar‐2010

1‐Dec‐2009

1‐Sep‐2009

‐40.00%
1‐Jun‐2009

‐25.00%
1‐Mar‐2009

‐30.00%

1‐Dec‐2008

‐20.00%

1‐Sep‐2008

‐20.00%

1‐Jun‐2008

‐15.00%

1‐Mar‐2008

‐10.00%

1‐Dec‐2007

‐10.00%

% Change Total Vehicle Sales

40.00%

10.00%

% Change Existing Home Sales

15.00%

Dates Per 3 Months

4

Existing Home Sales
4410000
4170000
4120000
4160000
4110000
4140000
4090000
4150000
4190000
4270000
4090000
3770000
4010000
3820000
3970000
3860000
3900000
4000000
4100000
4370000
4450000
4620000
5020000
5440000
4400000
4190000
4270000
4490000
4820000
4880000
4450000
3450000
3680000
3840000
3830000
4020000
4270000
4450000
4150000

% Change Existing Home Sales
-5.44%
-1.20%
0.97%
-1.20%
0.73%
-1.21%
1.47%
0.96%
1.91%
-4.22%
-7.82%
6.37%
-4.74%
3.93%
-2.77%
1.04%
2.56%
2.50%
6.59%
1.83%
3.82%
8.66%
8.37%
-19.12%
-4.77%
1.91%
5.15%
7.35%
1.24%
-8.81%
-22.47%
6.67%
4.35%
-0.26%
4.96%
6.22%
4.22%
-6.74%

Date
1-Dec-2007
1-Jan-2008
1-Feb-2008
1-Mar-2008
1-Apr-2008
1-May-2008
1-Jun-2008
1-Jul-2008
1-Aug-2008
1-Sep-2008
1-Oct-2008
1-Nov-2008
1-Dec-2008
1-Jan-2009
1-Feb-2009
1-Mar-2009
1-Apr-2009
1-May-2009
1-Jun-2009
1-Jul-2009
1-Aug-2009
1-Sep-2009
1-Oct-2009
1-Nov-2009
1-Dec-2009
1-Jan-2010
1-Feb-2010
1-Mar-2010
1-Apr-2010
1-May-2010
1-Jun-2010
1-Jul-2010
1-Aug-2010
1-Sep-2010
1-Oct-2010
1-Nov-2010
1-Dec-2010
1-Jan-2011
1-Feb-2011

Total Vehicle Sales
16.0
15.7
15.5
15.1
14.6
14.7
14.4
13.0
14.1
13.0
10.9
10.5
10.4
9.8
9.2
9.8
9.4
10.2
10.1
11.6
14.8
9.5
10.6
11.0
11.3
10.9
10.3
11.8
11.5
12.0
11.6
11.9
12.0
11.9
12.4
12.3
12.6
12.8
13.1

% Change Total Vehicle Sales
1.88%
1.27%
2.58%
3.31%
-0.68%
2.04%
9.72%
-8.46%
7.80%
16.15%
3.67%
0.95%
5.77%
6.12%
-6.52%
4.08%
-8.51%
0.98%
-14.85%
-27.59%
35.81%
-11.58%
-3.77%
-2.73%
3.54%
5.50%
-14.56%
2.54%
-4.35%
3.33%
-2.59%
-0.84%
0.83%
-4.20%
0.81%
-2.44%
-1.59%
-2.34%

5

4240000
4150000
4130000
4190000
4150000
4410000
4340000
4350000
4400000
4370000
4510000
4520000
4460000
4530000
4590000
4410000
4600000
4840000
4780000
4830000
4960000
4900000
4870000
4950000
4960000
4990000
5150000
5160000
5380000
5330000
5260000
5130000
4830000
4870000
4620000
4600000
4590000
4660000
4910000
5030000

2.17%
-2.12%
-0.48%
1.45%
-0.95%
6.27%
-1.59%
0.23%
1.15%
-0.68%
3.20%
0.22%
-1.33%
1.57%
1.32%
-3.92%
4.31%
5.22%
-1.24%
1.05%
2.69%
-1.21%
-0.61%
1.64%
0.20%
0.60%
3.21%
0.19%
4.26%
-0.93%
-1.31%
-2.47%
-5.85%
0.83%
-5.13%
-0.43%
-0.22%
1.53%
5.36%
2.44%

1-Mar-2011
1-Apr-2011
1-May-2011
1-Jun-2011
1-Jul-2011
1-Aug-2011
1-Sep-2011
1-Oct-2011
1-Nov-2011
1-Dec-2011
1-Jan-2012
1-Feb-2012
1-Mar-2012
1-Apr-2012
1-May-2012
1-Jun-2012
1-Jul-2012
1-Aug-2012
1-Sep-2012
1-Oct-2012
1-Nov-2012
1-Dec-2012
1-Jan-2013
1-Feb-2013
1-Mar-2013
1-Apr-2013
1-May-2013
1-Jun-2013
1-Jul-2013
1-Aug-2013
1-Sep-2013
1-Oct-2013
1-Nov-2013
1-Dec-2013
1-Jan-2014
1-Feb-2014
1-Mar-2014
1-Apr-2014
1-May-2014
1-Jun-2014

13.2
13.4
12.3
11.9
12.7
12.6
13.4
13.7
13.6
13.8
14.3
14.8
14.5
14.7
14.4
14.6
14.5
14.6
15.1
14.7
15.5
15.6
15.6
15.7
15.6
15.6
15.8
16.1
16.0
16.2
15.7
15.6
16.6
15.8
15.6
15.7
16.8
16.4
17.1
17.2

-0.76%
-1.52%
8.21%
3.25%
-6.72%
0.79%
-6.35%
-2.24%
0.73%
-1.47%
-3.62%
-3.50%
2.03%
-1.38%
2.04%
-1.39%
0.68%
-0.69%
-3.42%
2.65%
-5.44%
-0.65%
0.00%
-0.64%
0.64%
0.00%
-1.28%
-1.90%
0.62%
-1.25%
3.09%
0.64%
-6.41%
4.82%
1.27%
-0.64%
-7.01%
2.38%
-4.27%
-0.58%

6

5140000
5050000
5180000
5250000
4920000
5040000

2.19%
-1.75%
2.57%
1.35%
-6.29%
2.44%

1-Jul-2014
1-Aug-2014
1-Sep-2014
1-Oct-2014
1-Nov-2014
1-Dec-2014

16.8
17.9
16.8
16.8
17.5
17.2

2.33%
-6.55%
6.15%
0.00%
-4.17%
1.71%

7

Matthew Toenjes
2/26/2015
Analysis of Data % Changes & Graph
BE 401‐004 I chose to compare existing home sales and total vehicle sales. These topics were the most

interesting to me because both of them were heavily involved during the 2008 recession. Existing Home
Sales is particularly interesting because bad mortgages given out for home loans was a contributing factor for the recession. “The Existing‐Home Sales data measures sales and prices of existing single‐ family homes for the nation overall, and gives breakdowns for the West, Midwest, South, and Northeast regions of the country. These figures include condos and co‐ops, in addition to single‐family homes.” 1
Likewise, I found Total Vehicle Sales interesting because I would like to see what happened to car sales during the recession. I am especially interested in seeing what happened to total vehicle sales before and after the Cash for Clunkers program. “Total Vehicle sales released by the Autodata Corp. measures vehicle sales in the U.S. It is considered as an indicator for consumer confidence. The data measures the monthly sales of new Cars and Trucks. These sales comprise approximately 25% of total retail sales.”2

When looking over this data set for the first time, I found it interesting that the trend line for

Percentage Change for Existing Home Sales was slowly rising while the trend line for Percentage Change for Total Vehicle sales was declining. My initial thoughts were that Existing Home Sales would be on a downward trend because there was an abnormal amount of homes being purchased during Housing
Bubble and that levels should be returning to normal. However, that is not case and my best guess for
Existing Home Sales going up is for a few reasons: So many couldn’t afford to keep their homes or let then foreclose (walked away) because the value of the home declined so significantly. Many owed more money on their mortgages than their homes were worth. This resulted in the market being flooded with foreclosed homes (supply exceeded demand) which drove the values down even further. Because housing prices were so cheap, credit worthy individuals or buyers who could afford to pay with cash purchased these cheap homes. I think that because housing prices were so cheap, there were more 1
2

"Existing‐Home Sales." Realtor.org. National Association of Realtors, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. "Total Vehicle Sales." Forex Economic Events Calendar. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

8

Matthew Toenjes
2/26/2015
Analysis of Data % Changes & Graph
BE 401‐004 buyers buying homes instead of renting. In addition to this, as the economy recovered, more people

could afford to buy homes and started buying them up.
While the trend line for Existing Home Sales went up, the trend line for Total Vehicle Sales went down. I believe this is the case because, as the economy was struggling, more people were buying used cars (because they are generally cheaper) than buying new cars. In addition, people could be using alternative means of transportation to save money, such as public transit or carpooling.

When looking at the chart as a whole, you will notice some sporadic changes in the first half,

and the lines begin to smooth out more at the beginning of 2011. The recession began in December,
2007 and ended in June, 2009. 3 However, both datasets have some significant changes well after the recession officially ended. When looking at the lines for both data sets, it is interesting to see how some percentage changes seem to, somewhat, match up with the other. For example, there is a “W” shape on
Existing Home Sales June, 2013 to April, 2014 which closely resembles the same “W” shape on the Total
Vehicle Sales line directly below. I assume that where both datasets have similar looking lines, like the example above, can be explained by the general state of the economy, whereas significant percentage changes in one data set but not the other, indicates there must have been some form of intervention.
After 2010 the lines for both datasets become more stable where the percentage change does not exceeded 10%. This indicates the economy is probably recovering and becoming more stable.
Shifting focus on Total Vehicle Sales, we notice some significant changes from around May, 2009 to September, 2009. Begging in March or that year, car sales have been declining. The US economy was worsening and people were limiting big purchases.4 This explains why auto sales have been declining

3

"The Recession of 2007–2009." BLS Spotlight on Statistics (2012): 1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Feb. 2012.
Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
4
Krolicki, Kevin. "U.S. February Auto Sales Plunge as Recession Deepens." Reuters. N.p., 03 Mar. 2009. Web. 26
Feb. 2015.

9

Matthew Toenjes
2/26/2015
Analysis of Data % Changes & Graph
BE 401‐004 during the first half of 2009. Sales were decreasing at an even faster rate after a Cash‐for‐clunkers bill

was announced near the beginning of June.5 The bill would help remove old, inefficient, cars from the road by offering people driving these vehicles money to trade them in to buy a new more fuel efficient car. Buyers were probably anticipating the bill passing, which explains the even deeper decrease in car sales. People were going to wait to buy a new car in hopes that they would get money for their old car.
The Cash‐for‐clunkers bill passed in late June which is why, between August and September, you see a significant increase in car sales. The program was very popular which caused the 36% increase in car sales. However, these sales numbers would not be sustainable if the government program ended, which it did in August.6 Between September and October, sales had dropped by about 12% because there was much less demand for cars without the program in place.
Existing home sales has even more significant changes than total vehicle sales. From October,
2009 to July, 2010 there are major changes in the direction of the line. Because the changes appear to be so dramatic with regards to the rest of the chart, there must have been some form of intervention.
Looking at February, 2009, you will notice existing home sales has, for the most part, been rising through
November, 2009. This increase was because of the $8,000 first‐time home buyer tax credit that signed into law in February, 2009 as part of President Obama’s stimulus package.7 After November, existing home sales takes a dive, down 19% from November to December, 2009. This was the result of the homebuyer’s tax credit being extended. The tax credit was extended from December 1st to the end of
June, 2010 and people with higher incomes would now become eligible.8 The bill was signed in on 5

Healey, James. "Q&A: How the 'cash‐for‐clunker' Plan Would Work." USA Today. N.p., 10 June 2009. Web. 26 Feb.
2015.
6 Isidore, Chris. "Auto Sales Fall as Clunkers Rush Ends." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 01 Oct. 2009. Web. 26
Feb. 2015.
7
Mullns, Luke. "House Votes to Extend First‐Time Home Buyer Tax Credit for Service Members ‐ US News." US
News. N.p., 08 Oct. 2009. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
8
Christie, Les. "$8,000 Homebuyers Tax Credit Extended." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 06 Nov. 2009. Web.
26 Feb. 2015.

10

Matthew Toenjes
2/26/2015
Analysis of Data % Changes & Graph
BE 401‐004

November 6 which probably explains why home sales were going down at the time. People that would now become eligible were holding off on buying a house until their purchase was eligible for the tax credit. Shortly after the bill passed, you see home sales rise from February to April, 2010. Because buyers must have a deal by April 30th, 9 we see existing home sales start to decline in May and continue to decline significantly until August.
I was surprised to learn how bad things got during the recession. In fact, the effects of it go well past the end of the recession. I was surprised to learn how much of an impact government intervention can have. The biggest percentage changes for both data sets were the results from government intervention. I was also surprised to learn that the existing home sales trend line was increasing. I had expected total vehicle sales to be decreasing due to the state of the economy. However, existing home sales surprised me. After some research, it seems that home sales has been increasing because of government intervention as well as people taking advantage of cheaper homes. You can tell that our economy is recovering and becoming more stable because these two data sets do not have such huge percentage changes in the later years. I also found it interesting to learn that when the line for both data sets looks similar, it is probably due to the general state of the economy. When much larger changes happen and the line is not similar to the other data set, there must have been some form of government intervention. Acknowledgement
The author used the FRED (Federal Reserve Economic Data) database from the Federal Reserve Bank of
St. Louis to assemble the data used herein; see the Citations page.

9

Kocieniewski, David. "Home Tax Credit Called Successful, but Costly." The New York Times. The New York Times,
26 Apr. 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

11

Matthew Toenjes
2/26/2015
BE 401‐004

Analysis of Data % Changes & Graph Citations

Christie, Les. "$8,000 Homebuyers Tax Credit Extended." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 06 Nov.
2009. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
<http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/06/real_estate/tax_credit_extended>.
"Existing‐Home Sales." Realtor.org. National Association of Realtors, n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.realtor.org/topics/existing‐home‐sales/data>.
Grossman, Andrew, and Matthew Dolan. "Clunker Plan Gives Car Sales a Lift." WSJ. Wall Street Journal, 4
Aug. 2009. Web. 26 Feb. 2015. <http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124931253429401705>.
Healey, James. "Q&A: How the 'cash‐for‐clunker' Plan Would Work." USA Today. N.p., 10 June 2009.
Web. 26 Feb. 2015. <http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/autos/2009‐05‐11‐chrysler‐ gm‐cash‐clunkers_N.htm>. Isidore, Chris. "Auto Sales Fall as Clunkers Rush Ends." CNNMoney. Cable News Network, 01 Oct. 2009.
Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
<http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/01/news/companies/autosales/index.htm>.
Kocieniewski, David. "Home Tax Credit Called Successful, but Costly." The New York Times. The New York
Times, 26 Apr. 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/business/27home.html>.
Krolicki, Kevin. "U.S. Auto Sales Fall as Recession Deepens." Reuters. Thomson Reuters, 03 Mar. 2009.
Web. 26 Feb. 2015. <http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/03/03/us‐auto‐ idUSWEN543220090303>. McBride, Bill. "The Real Story Behind Existing Home Sales: It Was The Lowest Since 1996, And Inventory
Is Now Sky‐High." Business Insider. Business Insider, Inc, 24 Aug. 2010. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.businessinsider.com/the‐real‐story‐behind‐existing‐home‐sales‐it‐was‐the‐
lowest‐since‐1996‐and‐inventory‐is‐now‐sky‐high‐2010‐8>.

12

Matthew Toenjes
2/26/2015
Analysis of Data % Changes & Graph
BE 401‐004

Mullns, Luke. "First‐Time Home Buyer Tax Credit: 6 Things to Know." US News. N.p., 17 Feb. 2009. Web.
26 Feb. 2015. <http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/the‐home‐front/2009/02/17/first‐ time‐home‐buyer‐tax‐credit‐6‐things‐to‐know>. Mullns, Luke. "House Votes to Extend First‐Time Home Buyer Tax Credit for Service Members ‐ US
News." US News. N.p., 08 Oct. 2009. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
<http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/the‐home‐front/2009/10/08/house‐votes‐to‐
extend‐first‐time‐home‐buyer‐tax‐credit‐for‐service‐members>.
"The Recession of 2007–2009." BLS Spotlight on Statistics (2012): 1. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Feb.
2012. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.bls.gov/spotlight/2012/recession/pdf/recession_bls_spotlight.pdf>.
"Total Vehicle Sales." Forex Economic Events Calendar. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
<http://www.forexeconomiccalendar.com/total‐vehicle‐sales/>.
US. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Total Vehicle Sales [TOTALSA], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve
Bank of St. Louis https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/TOTALSA/, February 23, 2015.
National Association of Realtors, Existing Home Sales© [EXHOSLUSM495S], retrieved from FRED, Federal
Reserve Bank of St. Louis https://research.stlouisfed.org/fred2/series/EXHOSLUSM495S/,
February 27, 2015.

13

2/26/2015

Homebuyers tax credit extended and expanded ­ Nov. 6, 2009

Powered by

$8,000 homebuyers tax credit extended

President Obama reups popular tax credit through June 2010 and expands it to include people with higher incomes and some who want to trade up into new homes.
By Les Christie, CNNMoney.com staff writer
November 6, 2009: 3:18 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) ­­ President Obama signed an extension and expansion of the first­time homebuyers tax credit on Friday.
The $8,000 credit was scheduled to lapse on Dec. 1 but will now be in effect through the end of
June. Homebuyers must sign a contract before April 30 and close by June 30. The income limits were also raised: Single buyers can now earn up to $125,000 and still get the full credit while a married couple can earn $225,000.
The bill also made more homeowners eligible to claim the credit on their taxes. First­time buyers ­
­ those who have not owned a home in the past three years ­­ still qualify for an $8,000 rebate.
But now people who want to trade up can also qualify. Those who have owned and occupied a residence for at least five years out of the past eight can claim a $6,500 tax credit if they close on a purchase by the end of June.
"The new version of the tax credit has the potential to stimulate the housing market even more than the old version due to the fact that more people will qualify under the new rules," said Gibran
Nicholas, chairman of the CMPS Institute, an organization that certifies mortgage bankers and brokers. Who qualifies?
Nicholas provided four scenarios illustrating how the tax credit rules for existing homebuyers will apply: • Harry owned a home in 2001 and 2002 but sold it to relocate for a job. He would qualify for the
$8,000 first­time­buyer credit because he has not owned a home in the past three years.
• Sue purchased a home in 2004 and has lived there since. If she decides to buy a new home, she would qualify for the $6,500 tax credit because she has lived in the same residence for five consecutive years in the past eight.
• Jane purchased her home in 2002, lived there for five consecutive years before she rented it out in 2007. She would qualify because she was an owner/occupier for at least five consecutive years in the past eight. http://cnnmoney.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?expire=­1&title=Homebuyers+tax+credit+extended+and+expanded+­+Nov.+6%2C+2009&urlID=414268290&… 1/3

2/26/2015

Homebuyers tax credit extended and expanded ­ Nov. 6, 2009

• Mark purchased a home in 2006 and lived there for the past three years. He would not qualify because he is neither a first­time homebuyer nor someone who lived in the same primary residence for five consecutive years out of the past eight.

How it helps the economy
Legislators and industry experts expect that the credit will encourage buyers such as Jane and
Sue to move up their purchase plans.
"This bill will shift demand from the second half of 2010 into the first half," said Pat Newport, a real estate analyst with IHS Global Research. "As a result, home sales and prices will get a boost in the first half of 2010, with payback in the second."
That's not a bad thing, according to Bill Kilmer, vice president of advocacy for the National
Association of Home Builders. It's important to stabilize real estate markets quickly to help bring the economy out of its tailspin.
The original $8,000 tax credit appears to have helped accomplish that goal: Home prices have inched up the past few months, according to the S&P/Case­Shiller Home Price Index.

Would it have happened anyway?
But critics still see the program as being ineffectual because it rewards buyers who would have purchased a home anyway. Newport estimates that fewer than 400,000 of the 2 million who have claimed the original credit made their purchases solely because of the tax advantages.
Furthermore, buyers do not, in reality, receive the entire benefit. "The credit helped prices stabilize," said Newport. "So the credit has been split between seller and buyer. The sellers are getting higher prices and buyers paying more than they would have without it."
The housing industry, however, is pleased with the extension, although the credit has not been quite as effective as they hoped.
The industry thought the credit would provide a ripple effect, with sales to first timers triggering as many three additional "move­up" sales.
That did not happen, according to Lawrence Yun, NAR's chief economist.
"It did not have the chain reaction impact it was supposed to," he said. "Instead, many first­timers turned to vacant, foreclosed or other distressed properties the sellers of which were unlikely to be move­up buyers."
So, the tax credit helped prop up the low end of the market without having much impact on the rest of the spectrum. Expanding the benefit to existing homeowners should boost those segments. That should produce additional benefits, according to Yun.
"Preventing further price decline or even nudging prices up a bit stabilizes housing wealth, which http://cnnmoney.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?expire=­1&title=Homebuyers+tax+credit+extended+and+expanded+­+Nov.+6%2C+2009&urlID=414268290&… 2/3

2/26/2015

Homebuyers tax credit extended and expanded ­ Nov. 6, 2009

makes homeowners more comfortable in their spending," said Yun. "They're more likely to go out to the stores or buy a new car. That provides a boost to the overall economy."
Find mortgage rates in your area

Find this article at: http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/06/real_estate/tax_credit_extended Check the box to include the list of links referenced in the article.

© 2007 Cable News Network LP, LLP.

http://cnnmoney.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?expire=­1&title=Homebuyers+tax+credit+extended+and+expanded+­+Nov.+6%2C+2009&urlID=414268290&…

3/3

2/27/2015

Existing­Home Sales Data | realtor.org

EXISTING­HOME SALES

Data
The Existing­Home Sales data measures sales and prices of existing single­family homes for the nation overall, and gives breakdowns for the West, Midwest, South, and Northeast regions of the country. These figures include condos and co­ops, in addition to single­family homes.

Latest News
Existing­home sales declined in January to their lowest rate in nine months, but the pace was higher than a year ago for the fourth straight month.
Read the full news release.
View supplemental market data (Excel: 28 KB)
See the summary of January 2015 Existing Home Sales Statistics (PDF: 637 KB)

Next release: Existing­Home Sales for February is scheduled for March 23, 2015.

Overview
Current sales rates, actual totals and median prices by month going back 12 months. Annual totals for three years. Includes all existing­home sales — single­family, condos and co­ops — rolled into monthly and annual totals. This file contains figures for the nation and four regions. It does not contain breakouts.
Existing­Home Sales Overview Chart for Printing (PDF: 28 KB)
Existing­Home Sales Overview Chart for Database Work (MS Excel: 37 KB)
Map of Existing­Home Sales Regions

Breakouts of Single­family, Condo and Co­op
Figures for the nation only — includes total existing­home sales, single­family sales and condo/co­op sales &mash; seasonally adjusted and actual. Months supply by category also included. Median and average sales prices for all existing­home sales, for single­family sales and for condo­co­op sales.
Total Sales With Breakouts of Single­family and Condo/Co­op for Printing (PDF: 22 KB)
Total Sales With Breakouts of Single­family and Condo/Co­op Spreadsheet for Database Work (MS Excel: 36 KB)

Single­Family Existing­Home Sales and Prices
Current single­family existing­home sales rates, actual totals and median prices by month for 12 months. Annual totals for three years. Figures for the nation and four regions.
Single­Family Only for Printing (PDF: 27 KB) http://www.realtor.org/topics/existing­home­sales/data 1/2

2/27/2015

Existing­Home Sales Data | realtor.org

Single­Family Only Spreadsheet for Database Work (MS Excel: 37 KB)
Map of Existing­Home Sales Regions

Condo and Co­op Sales and Prices
Current condo and co­op sales rates, actual totals and median prices by month for 12 months. Annual totals for three years. Figures for the nation and four regions.
Condo/Co­op Only for Printing (PDF: 26 KB)
Condo/Co­op Spreadsheet for Database Work (MS Excel: 37 KB)
Map of Existing­Home Sales Regions

Seasonally­Adjusted Historical Files
Each February, in conjunction with the release of final data for the previous calendar year, NAR Research conducts a normal review of seasonal activity and fine­tunes historic data for the past three years based on the most recent findings. For example, in data posted in February 2015 revisions have been made to monthly seasonally adjusted annual sales rates for 2012 through 2014, as well as the inventory month's supply data; most revisions are minor with little or no impact on previous characterizations of the overall market. There are no revisions to monthly home prices (single family and condo) or to raw inventory data (beyond normal prior­month revisions).
Seasonally­Adjusted Historical Files (MS Excel: 28 KB)

Historical Information
Historical data can be purchased in the REALTOR® Store.

Questions?
If you have questions about this data, please email them to data@realtors.org.
© Copyright NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®
Headquarters: 430 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611
DC Office: 500 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20001­2020
1­800­874­6500

http://www.realtor.org/topics/existing­home­sales/data

2/2

2/17/2015

Clunker Plan Gives Car Sales a Lift ­ WSJ

This copy is for your personal, non­commercial use only. To order presentation­ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers visit http://www.djreprints.com. http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124931253429401705 ǺȘİǺŇ BŲȘİŇĚȘȘ ŇĚẄȘ ťfįĿ ǻ șěŀǻȘ řǻČ șěvįĢ ňǻŀ

řěķňųŀČ

Jųŀỳ'ș Ų.Ș. Řǻțě Ħįģħěșț Șįňčě Ŀǻșț Ǻųģųșț; Mǻķěřș Řǻįșě Přǿđųčțįǿň, bųț Ẅǿřřỳ Přǿģřǻm
Mǻỳ Ěňđ
Bỳ ǺŇĐŘĚẄ ĢŘǾȘȘMǺŇ ǻňđ MǺȚȚĦĚẄ ĐǾĿǺŇ
Ųpđǻțěđ Ǻųģ. 4, 2009 11:59 p.m. ĚȚ
Ų.Ș. ǻųțǿ șǻŀěș įň Jųŀỳ čŀįmběđ țǿ țħěįř ħįģħěșț pǻčě įň 11 mǿňțħș, ǻș čųșțǿměřș řųșħěđ țǿ șħǿẅřǿǿmș ǻmįđ ųňčěřțǻįňțỳ ǻbǿųț țħě fųțųřě ǿf țħě fěđěřǻŀ ģǿvěřňměňț'ș "Čǻșħ fǿř
Čŀųňķěřș" įňčěňțįvě přǿģřǻm.
Ňǿẅ, čǻř mǻķěřș, țħě Ǿbǻmǻ ǻđmįňįșțřǻțįǿň ǻňđ țħě Șěňǻțě fǻčě țǿųģħ đěčįșįǿňș ǻbǿųț ħǿẅ țǿ řěșpǿňđ țǿ țħě čŀųňķěř přǿģřǻm'ș ǻppǻřěňț șųččěșș. Țħě ǻđmįňįșțřǻțįǿň ǿň
Mǿňđǻỳ șțěppěđ ųp ǻ čǻmpǻįģň țǿ pěřșųǻđě șěňǻțǿřș țǿ ǻppřǿvě $2 bįŀŀįǿň mǿřě įň fųňđįňģ běfǿřě Čǿňģřěșș ģǿěș ǿň vǻčǻțįǿň ǻț țħě ěňđ ǿf țħě ẅěěķ. Țħě Ħǿųșě ǿň Fřįđǻỳ ǻppřǿvěđ ǻ $2 bįŀŀįǿň fųňđįňģ ěxțěňșįǿň.
Ǻđmįňįșțřǻțįǿň ǿffįčįǻŀș ħǻvě ẅǻřňěđ țħě přǿģřǻm čǿųŀđ bě fǿřčěđ țǿ ěňđ. Bųț șǿmě ķěỳ șěňǻțǿřș įň bǿțħ pǻřțįěș ǻřě bǻŀķįňģ.
Měǻňẅħįŀě, șǿmě ǻųțǿ mǻķěřș șįģňǻŀěđ țħěỳ pŀǻň țǿ řǻįșě přǿđųčțįǿň țǿ řěșțǿčķ șħǿẅřǿǿmș ěmpțįěđ bỳ mǿňțħș ǿf přǿđųčțįǿň čųțș ǻňđ țħě ģǿvěřňměňț-fųěŀěđ șǻŀěș șųřģě. Bųț țħě įňčřěǻșěș ǻppěǻř měǻșųřěđ, ǻș čǻř mǻķěřș ǻŀșǿ ẅǻňț țǿ ųșě țħě ųňųșųǻŀŀỳ șħǿřț șųppŀỳ ǿf pǿpųŀǻř mǿđěŀș țǿ ŀįfț țřǻňșǻčțįǿň přįčěș. Ǻųțǿ mǻķěřș ǻŀșǿ ẅįŀŀ ŀǿǿķ fǿř ěvįđěňčě țħǻț țħě șǻŀěș řěbǿųňđ čǻň ǿųțŀǻșț țħě ěňđ ǿf țħě șųbșįđįěș. ĐįșčǿųňțȘěě Ų.Ș. ŀįģħț-věħįčŀě șǻŀěș bỳ mǿňțħ.

đřįvěň șǻŀěș řųșħěș ǿfțěň ŀěǻđ țǿ șǻŀěș șŀųmpș ǿňčě țħě đěǻŀș ǻřě ģǿňě. http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124931253429401705 1/5

2/17/2015

Clunker Plan Gives Car Sales a Lift ­ WSJ

Ħỳųňđǻį Mǿțǿř Čǿ. șǻįđ Mǿňđǻỳ țħǻț įțș pŀǻňț įň Ǻŀǻbǻmǻ įș řěțųřňįňģ țǿ ǻ fįvě-đǻỳ ẅǿřķ ẅěěķ ǻfțěř běįňģ ǿň ǻ șħǿřțěňěđ șčħěđųŀě șįňčě mįđ-Ǿčțǿběř.
Fǿřđ Mǿțǿř Čǿ. , ẅħįčħ přěvįǿųșŀỳ pŀǻňňěđ țǿ įňčřěǻșě přǿđųčțįǿň įň țħě țħįřđ qųǻřțěř, șǻįđ įț ẅįŀŀ řěǻșșěșș ẅħěțħěř ǻ fųřțħěř bǿǿșț įș ňěěđěđ ǻț țħě ěňđ ǿf Ǻųģųșț. Ģěňěřǻŀ
Mǿțǿřș Čǿ. șǻįđ įțș țħįřđ-qųǻřțěř přǿđųčțįǿň ẅǿųŀđ bě đǿẅň fřǿm ǻ ỳěǻř ǻģǿ, bųț ųp șħǻřpŀỳ fřǿm fįřșț ǻňđ șěčǿňđ qųǻřțěřș -- ųňųșųǻŀ běčǻųșě ňǿřmǻŀŀỳ, țħě țħįřđ qųǻřțěř įș țħě ẅěǻķěșț přǿđųčțįǿň pěřįǿđ ǿf țħě ỳěǻř.
Țħěșě ǿųțpųț įňčřěǻșěș ẅįŀŀ řįppŀě țħřǿųģħ
MORE
Ķįŀŀěř Ǻpp fǿř Čŀųňķěřș Șpųřș Mǻřķěț
(/articles/SB124934376942503053)
Ųșěđ Ǻųțǿș Șěě ǻ Řįșě İň Đěmǻňđ
(/articles/SB124934409455203111)
Țřǻđě-İň Přǿģřǻm Țųňěș Ųp Ěčǿňǿmįč
Ěňģįňě (/articles/SB124934426743203057)
ĢǾP Qųěșțįǿňș 'Čŀųňķěřș' Přǿģřǻm
(/articles/SB124930530091501383)
Ěčǿň: 'Clunkers' Borrows From Future Growth
(http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2009/08/03/cash
­for­clunkers­borrowing­from­future­growth/)
Ħěǻřđ: Car­Sales Surge May Run Out of Gas
(/articles/SB124932638447602253)
Ňǿțěđ: Americans Shouldn't Be Buying New
Cars (http://randomnotes.newswires­ americas.com/?p=3162) JOURNAL COMMUNITY »
Vǿțě: Will 'cash for clunkers' provide a lasting auto sales boost?
(http://www.wsj.com/community)

țħě ěčǿňǿmỳ, ǻș řǻẅ-mǻțěřįǻŀ șųppŀįěřș ǻňđ pǻřțș mǻķěřș řǻmp ųp țǿ řěșpǿňđ. Șțěěŀ mǻķěř ǺĶ Șțěěŀ Ħǿŀđįňģ Čǿřp. ǻňđ ǻŀųmįňųm ģįǻňț Ǻŀčǿǻ İňč. řěčěňțŀỳ țǿŀđ ǻňǻŀỳșțș țħěỳ ěxpěčț țǿ běňěfįț ǻș čǻř mǻķěřș řěșțǿčķ.
Ǻųțǿ čǿmpǻňįěș șǿŀđ 997,824 čǻřș ǻňđ ŀįģħț țřųčķș įň Jųŀỳ, ǻččǿřđįňģ țǿ Ǻųțǿđǻțǻ Čǿřp.,
Țħǻț ẅǻș țħě ħįģħěșț mǿňțħŀỳ țǿțǻŀ șįňčě
Ǻųģųșț 2008.
Țħě čŀǿșěŀỳ ẅǻțčħěđ ǻňňųǻŀįżěđ șěŀŀįňģ pǻčě řǿșě țǿ 11.24 mįŀŀįǿň věħįčŀěș, ǻ șįģňįfįčǻňț jųmp fřǿm Jųňě'ș 9.69 mįŀŀįǿň řǻțě. Bųț įț ẅǻș đǿẅň fřǿm țħě ỳěǻř-ǻģǿ pǻčě ǿf 12.5 mįŀŀįǿň șǻŀěș, ǻňđ șțįŀŀ fǻř șħǿřț ǿf țħě 16 mįŀŀįǿň ǻňňųǻŀ ŀěvěŀ ǿňčě čǿňșįđěřěđ ňǿřmǻŀ. ĢM ǻňđ Čħřỳșŀěř Ģřǿųp ĿĿČ șųffěřěđ țħěįř șmǻŀŀěșț șǻŀěș đěčŀįňěș ǿf țħě ỳěǻř. ĢM șǻŀěș

fěŀŀ 19.4% țǿ 188,156 věħįčŀěș, ẅħįŀě
Čħřỳșŀěř'ș fěŀŀ 9.4% țǿ 88,900. Țǿỳǿțǻ Mǿțǿř Čǿřp. șǻįđ șǻŀěș șŀįppěđ 11% țǿ 174,872 věħįčŀěș, ǻňđ ěșțįmǻțěđ țħǻț čŀųňķěřș đěǻŀș bǿǿșțěđ șǻŀěș bỳ 30,000 țǿ 32,000 věħįčŀěș.
Fǿřđ, měǻňẅħįŀě, șǻįđ įțș Jųŀỳ ŀįģħț-věħįčŀě șǻŀěș řǿșě 2.4% fřǿm ǻ ỳěǻř ǻģǿ țǿ 164,795 -țħě čǿmpǻňỳ'ș fįřșț ỳěǻř-ǿvěř-ỳěǻř ģǻįň įň 20 mǿňțħș.
Țħě přǿģřǻm ǿffěřș ģǿvěřňměňț vǿųčħěřș țǿẅǻřđ pųřčħǻșě ǿf ňěẅ čǻřș țǿ čǿňșųměřș http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124931253429401705 2/5

2/17/2015

Clunker Plan Gives Car Sales a Lift ­ WSJ

Ford reported its first sales increase in 20 months, aided by the government's clunker program. Above, a shopper at a dealer in Downers Grove, Ill., on Monday. GETTY IMAGES

ẅħǿ șųřřěňđěř fǿř șčřǻppįňģ ǻň ǿŀđěř věħįčŀě řǻțěđ ǻț 18 mįŀěș ǿř ŀěșș pěř ģǻŀŀǿň ǿf ģǻș.
Țǿ ģěț ǻ $3,500 vǿųčħěř, țħě ňěẅ čǻř mųșț bě ǻț ŀěǻșț 4 mpģ mǿřě ěffįčįěňț; ǻ 10 mpģ įmpřǿvěměňț įș řěqųįřěđ fǿř ǻ $4,500 vǿųčħěř.
Țħě đěbǻțě ǿvěř ẅħěțħěř țǿ přǿvįđě ǻňǿțħěř $2 bįŀŀįǿň ǿf įňčěňțįvě mǿňěỳ ħǻș běčǿmě ǻ mįčřǿčǿșm ǿf ǻ ŀǻřģěř pǿŀįțįčǻŀ țųșșŀě ǿvěř țħě přǿpěř řǿŀě ǿf ģǿvěřňměňț įň șțįmųŀǻțįňģ țħě ěčǿňǿmỳ.
Șěňǻțě Řěpųbŀįčǻňș ħǻvě șěįżěđ ǿň țħě ħǻňđŀįňģ ǿf țħě přǿģřǻm, ẅħįčħ ħǻș řųň șħǿřț ǿf mǿňěỳ mǿňțħș fǻșțěř țħǻň pŀǻňňěđ, țǿ ǻřģųě țħǻț țħě fěđěřǻŀ ģǿvěřňměňț įșň'ț http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124931253429401705 3/5

2/17/2015

Clunker Plan Gives Car Sales a Lift ­ WSJ

ěqųįppěđ țǿ țǻķě ǿvěř ǻ ŀǻřģě čħųňķ ǿf țħě Ų.Ș. ħěǻŀțħ-čǻřě șỳșțěm.
Řěpųbŀįčǻňș ǻŀșǿ čřįțįčįżěđ țħě čŀųňķěřș pŀǻň ǻș ǻň ěxpěňșįvě șǻŀvě țǿ ǻųțǿ đěǻŀěřș ǻňđ țħě čǻř įňđųșțřỳ țħǻț įģňǿřěș ǿțħěř ňěěđỳ ǻřěǻș ǿf țħě ěčǿňǿmỳ.
Țħě ŀǻřģěșț ǿřģǻňįżǻțįǿň ǿf Ų.Ș. čǻř đěǻŀěřș čħǻňģěđ čǿųřșě Mǿňđǻỳ, ǻđvįșįňģ đěǻŀěřș țǿ șțǻỳ ǻẅǻỳ fřǿm čǿňșųmmǻțįňģ ňěẅ șǻŀěș ųňđěř țħě čŀųňķěřș přǿģřǻm běčǻųșě ǿf čǿňțįňųěđ ųňčěřțǻįňțỳ ǻbǿųț įțș fųțųřě.
"Ẅě ǻřě ǻț țħįș țįmě șǻỳįňģ țħǻț įf țħěỳ přǿčěěđ, țħěỳ đǿ șǿ ǻț țħěįř ǿẅň řįșķ," Ňǻțįǿňǻŀ
Ǻųțǿmǿbįŀě Đěǻŀěřș Ǻșșǿčįǻțįǿň Čħǻįřmǻň Jǿħň MčĚŀěňěỳ șǻįđ. "Țħě přųđěňț țħįňģ įș ňǿț țǿ đǿ įț."
Ẅħįțě Ħǿųșě șpǿķěșmǻň Řǿběřț Ģįbbș șǻįđ Mǿňđǻỳ țħǻț Přěșįđěňț Bǻřǻčķ Ǿbǻmǻ ẅǿųŀđ ųșě ǻ Țųěșđǻỳ ŀųňčħ měěțįňģ ẅįțħ Șěňǻțě Đěmǿčřǻțș țǿ pųșħ fǿř ǻň ěxțěňșįǿň ǿf țħě přǿģřǻm.
Ħǿpįňģ țǿ ģǻŀvǻňįżě șųppǿřț fǿř čǿňțįňųįňģ țħě přǿģřǻm, țħě ǻđmįňįșțřǻțįǿň ǿň Mǿňđǻỳ mųșțěřěđ įțș fįřșț șěț ǿf ňųmběřș țǿ șħǿẅ įňčěňțįvěș ẅěřě įmpřǿvįňģ ǿvěřǻŀŀ věħįčŀě mįŀěǻģě ǻňđ șǻįđ țħěỳ ẅěřě ģįvįňģ ǻ "țįměŀỳ, țěmpǿřǻřỳ ǻňđ țǻřģěțěđ" jǿŀț țǿ țħě ěčǿňǿmỳ. Țħě Đěpǻřțměňț ǿf Țřǻňșpǿřțǻțįǿň șǻįđ įțș přěŀįmįňǻřỳ fįģųřěș șħǿẅ țħě přǿģřǻm ħǻđ șpųřřěđ șǻŀěș ǿf čǻřș ǻvěřǻģįňģ 25.4 mįŀěș pěř ģǻŀŀǿň, čǿmpǻřěđ ẅįțħ ǻň ǻvěřǻģě ǿf 15.8 mpģ fǿř țħě țřǻđě-įňș.
Țħě ǻđmįňįșțřǻțįǿň ģǻįňěđ ģřǿųňđ Mǿňđǻỳ ẅħěň Șěňǻțǿřș Șųșǻň Čǿŀŀįňș (Ř., Mǻįňě) ǻňđ Đįǻňňě Fěįňșțěįň (Đ., Čǻŀįf.,) đřǿppěđ țħěįř ǿppǿșįțįǿň țǿ ǻđđįțįǿňǻŀ fųňđįňģ, șǻỳįňģ đǻțǻ řěŀěǻșěđ bỳ țħě ǻđmįňįșțřǻțįǿň pěřșųǻđěđ țħěm țħǻț mǿșț věħįčŀěș șčřǻppěđ șǿ fǻř ħǻvě běěň șpǿřț-ųțįŀįțỳ věħįčŀěș ǻňđ țřųčķș, ǻňđ țħǻț 60% ǿf țħě pěǿpŀě ųșįňģ țħě přǿģřǻm ħǻđ pųřčħǻșěđ čǻřș.
ĢM ěșțįmǻțěđ 118,000 věħįčŀěș ẅěřě șǿŀđ įň Jųŀỳ ẅįțħ țħě přǿģřǻm'ș ħěŀp. Țħě
Țřǻňșpǿřțǻțįǿň Đěpǻřțměňț șǻįđ ǻbǿųț 80,500 țřǻňșǻčțįǿňș ħǻđ běěň přǿčěșșěđ ųňđěř țħě čŀųňķěřș přǿģřǻm ǻș ǿf Șǻțųřđǻỳ, țħě ěňđ ǿf įțș fįřșț ẅěěķ. Ǿf țħǿșě, 47% įňvǿŀvěđ věħįčŀěș mǻđě bỳ ĢM, Fǿřđ ǿř Čħřỳșŀěř, țħě ǻđmįňįșțřǻțįǿň șǻįđ.
Țħě Țřǻňșpǿřțǻțįǿň Đěpǻřțměňț șǻįđ Fǿřđ'ș Fǿčųș čǿmpǻčț ẅǻș țħě Ňǿ. 1 čǻř bǿųģħț bỳ pěǿpŀě ẅħǿ țřǻđěđ įň čŀųňķěřș. Țǿỳǿțǻ șǻįđ įțș Čǿřǿŀŀǻ čǿmpǻčț ǻňđ Přįųș ħỳbřįđ http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124931253429401705 4/5

2/17/2015

Clunker Plan Gives Car Sales a Lift ­ WSJ

ǻččǿųňțěđ fǿř 40% ǿf įțș věħįčŀěș șǿŀđ țħřǿųģħ țħě įňčěňțįvěș.
Ģřǻșș-řǿǿțș mǻřķěțįňģ bỳ čǻř đěǻŀěřș ẅǻș ǻ bįģ fǻčțǿř įň țħě přǿģřǻm'ș ǻppěǻŀ.
İň Șįǿųx Fǻŀŀș, Ș.Đ., țħě čŀųňķěřș pŀǻň čǿįňčįđěđ ẅįțħ țħě șųmměř čŀěǻřǻňčě șǻŀě țħǻț
Bįŀŀįǿň Ǻųțǿmǿțįvě ħǿŀđș ǻț ǻ fǻįřģřǿųňđș ňěǻřbỳ. Ǿẅňěř Đǻvįđ Bįŀŀįǿň șǻįđ ħě țǿǿķ ǿųț ǻ 12-pǻģě įňșěřț įň țħě ŀǿčǻŀ ňěẅșpǻpěř, řǻň řǻđįǿ ǻđș ǻňđ ǿffěřěđ ųp țǿ $3,000 įň įňčěňțįvěș ǿf ħįș ǿẅň fǿř ųșěđ čǻřș. Țħě đěǻŀěřșħįp ģřǿųp șǿŀđ ǻbǿųț 100 čǻřș ǻ đǻỳ, 35 mǿřě țħǻň įț ųșųǻŀŀỳ șěŀŀș țħřǿųģħ țħě ěvěňț, Mř. Bįŀŀįǿň șǻįđ.
—Ňěįŀ Ķįňģ Jř., Ỳųķǻřį İẅǻțǻňį Ķǻňě ǻňđ Ķǻțě Ŀįňěbǻųģħ čǿňțřįbųțěđ țǿ țħįș ǻřțįčŀě.
Ẅřįțě țǿ Ǻňđřěẅ Ģřǿșșmǻň ǻț ǻňđřěẅ.ģřǿșșmǻň@ẅșj.čǿm ǻňđ Mǻțțħěẅ Đǿŀǻň ǻț mǻțțħěẅ.đǿŀǻň@ẅșj.čǿm Copyright 2014 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This copy is for your personal, non­commercial use only. Distribution and use of this material are governed by our Subscriber Agreement and by copyright law. For non­personal use or to order multiple copies, please contact Dow Jones Reprints at 1­800­843­0008 or visit www.djreprints.com.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB124931253429401705

5/5

2/25/2015

Q&A: How the 'cash­for­clunker' plan would work ­ USATODAY.com
Search

How do I find it?

Subscribe to paper

Become a member of the
TODAY community

Home

Money » Cars

News

Travel

Drive On community

Money

Sports

Test Drive: James R. Healey

Life

Tech

Video Reviews

Weather

Buy a Car

Sell a Car

Log in | Become a mem

Incentives

Recalls

Other Reviews

GET A QUOTE: Enter symbol(s) or Keywords

Q&A: How the 'cash­for­clunker' plan would work Updated 6/10/2009 4:22 PM | Comment

E­mail |

| Recommend

Print |

By James R. Healey, USA TODAY

Share

House Democrats and the Obama administration have agreed on a compromise for a so­ called cash­for­clunkers bill.

Add to Mixx

Royal family

Charlie Sheen

Can wedding boost Actor seeks monarchy's custody of twins. popularity? More: Video

Facebook

Similar to European programs, the legislation — also called "fleet modernization" or
"scrappage" — would provide federal vouchers of up to $4,500 for people to trade in their vehicles for new ones that get better mileage.
OPEN ROAD: Will you profit from cashing in your clunker?
CHART: Summary of cash­for­clunkers agreement

Featured video

Twitter
More
Subscribe

The European programs are expected to result in 400,000 to 500,000 more new vehicle sales this year than otherwise would be the case. Backers say a U.S. version could add 1 million sales at a time Chrysler is in bankruptcy court and General Motors is fighting to stay out. Both are operating on government loans.

myYahoo iGoogle
More

Talk of the vouchers has kept some would­be new car and truck buyers on the sidelines, waiting to see whether they'd qualify for government help. So, for the moment, the idea is hurting sales. Based on interviews with lobbyists and congressional offices, how it might work:
Q: What's the idea behind "cash­for­clunkers"?
A: Supporters say it would replace older vehicles with new ones that use less fuel, are safer and pollute less. And it would give the struggling auto industry a sales boost.
Q: What's the bill's status?
A: It's in a House committee and backed by the president. Senators from both parties are prepared to co­sponsor similar legislation as soon as this week.
Q: Sounds like a sure thing.
A: Not so. Environmental lobbyists, who don't think it boosts fuel economy enough, might derail it or get it changed enough in the Senate that a compromise would take awhile.
Q: Any groups trying to keep it from being derailed?
A: You bet. Car companies, autoworkers, component suppliers and car dealers, among them. The House bill "will help jump­start auto sales and the U.S. economy, while also providing environmental benefits and increasing energy security," says Ziad Ojakli, Ford Motor spokesman.
Q: What's the price tag?
A: About $4 billion. The money is currently proposed to come from Energy Department funding included in the already enacted $787 billion economic stimulus package.
Q: If the House bill becomes law, how would it work?
A: The government would send up to $4,500 to the selling dealer on your behalf, if you:
1. Trade in a car that — this is a key point — has been registered and in use for at least a year, and has a federal combined city/highway fuel­economy rating of 18 or fewer miles per gallon.
2. Buy a new car, priced at $45,000 or less and rated at least 4 mpg better than the old one (gets a $3,500 voucher). If the new one gets at least 10 mpg better, you get the full $4,500.
Example: Trade that well­worn 1985 Chevrolet Impala V­8 police special, rated 14 mpg, for a 2009 Impala V­8 rated 19 mpg and the government will kick in $3,500. Downsize to Chevy Cobalt (27 mpg) or even a larger
Honda Accord (24 mpg) and get $4,500.
Mileage ratings back to 1985 are at www.fueleconomy.gov.
Q: What about trucks?
A: It's more complicated.
For standard­duty models — most SUVs, vans and pickups:
1. The old one must be rated 18 mpg or less.
2. The new one must be at least 2 mpg better for $3,500 or at least 5 mpg better for $4,500.
For heavy­duties (6,000 to 8,500 pounds gross vehicle weight rating):
1. The old one must be rated 15 mpg or less.
2. The new one must be rated at least 1 mpg better for $3,500, or 2 mpg or more for $4,500.
Work trucks (8,500 to 10,000 lbs.) don't have mpg ratings, so age is the criteria. The old one has to be a 2001 model or older. And only $3,500 is available.
Q: Is it worth it for $4,500?

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/autos/2009­05­11­chrysler­gm­cash­clunkers_N.htm

1/3

2/25/2015

Q&A: How the 'cash­for­clunker' plan would work ­ USATODAY.com
A: The assumption is that the people most likely to use the program would trade in cars worth less than $4,500.
Thus, while not necessarily clunkers, most would be at least 8 years old.
Q: Can I combine these incentives with other offers?
A: Yes. For instance, you could trade for a hybrid and get the voucher, claim the hybrid tax credit and get dealer or manufacturer discounts. You also could deduct the sales tax, if any, on your next federal tax return.
Q: Would I ever see the $3,500 or $4,500?
A: No. It's an electronic transfer from the government to the dealer. Dealers want to be sure the amount can be counted as cash from the buyer, which would help buyers get credit because they're financing less.
Q: What does the dealer do with my trade­in?
A: Gives it to a salvage operator. The engine, transmission and some other parts must be destroyed so they can't be reused. The idea is to cull fuel­thirsty, polluting drivetrains. Operators can resell other parts, however.
Q: What's to keep me from buying a junkyard car for a few hundred bucks, getting it barely running and trading it?
A: The one­year­in­service requirement noted earlier. Lawmakers wanted to exclude the revival of so­called junkyard dogs, because they've already been taken off the road.
Q: What do I get if I recently bought a car that would have qualified?
A: The bill contemplates making the incentives retroactive to March 30, but it's unclear how to find and junk cars that were traded in that long ago. Some might already be back on the road, driven by new owners.
Q: What's wrong with environmentalists' idea that the new car or truck should get much better fuel economy than the House bill currently requires?
A: Opponents say the environmentalists' fuel­economy improvement thresholds are so high that foreign brands benefit disproportionately, because their lineups tend now to have more small, fuel­efficient vehicles.
But the American Council for an Energy­Efficient Economy complained in a statement criticizing the House bill that the proposal as it stands now is way too lenient.
The council charged that the bill "aims primarily to clear Detroit's unsold inventory from the storage lots," rather than to seriously cut fuel use.
Q: How soon could this become law?
A: Depends on how much critics can sway the Senate, and to what piece of legislation this "fleet modernization" bill is attached.
If it becomes part of a larger bill that's likely to get lots of debate, it could take awhile. If it's attached to urgent, must­pass legislation, such as an appropriation bill, it could move quickly to the president's desk.
A current plan is to add the program as an amendment to climate change legislation now being considered.
As proposed, it would be in effect for just one year.

SUMMARY OF CASH­FOR­CLUNKERS AGREEMENT | Story
Large light­duty truck (6,000­
8,500 lbs.)

Work truck
(8,500­15,000
lbs.)

18 mpg (EPA combined) 15 mpg (EPA combined)

Not applicable

Mileage improvement of at least 4 mpg.

Mileage improvement of at least 2 mpg.

Mileage improvement of at least 1 mpg or trade­in of a work truck.

Trade­in must be at least pre­2002.

Mileage improvement of at least 10 mpg.

Mileage improvement of at least 5 mpg.

Mileage improvement of at least 2 mpg. NA

Passenger car

Light­duty truck

Minimum fuel economy for new vehicle 22 mpg (EPA combined) $3,500 voucher

$4,500 voucher

Source: House Committee on Energy and Commerce

Mixx

Posted 5/11/2009 8:42 PM

E­mail |

Updated 6/10/2009 4:22 PM

Print |

To report corrections and clarifications, contact Reader Editor Brent Jones. For publication consideration in the newspaper, send comments to letters@usatoday.com. Include name, phone number, city and state for verification. To view our corrections, go to corrections.usatoday.com.
Guidelines: You share in the USA TODAY community, so please keep your comments smart and civil. Don't attack other readers personally, and keep your language decent. Use the "Report Abuse" button to make a difference. Read more.

Newspaper Home Delivery ­ Subscribe Today
Home • News • Travel • Money • Sports • Life • Tech • Weather
About USATODAY.com: Site Map | FAQ | Contact Us | Jobs with Us | Terms of Service
Privacy Policy/Your California Privacy Right | Advertise | Press Room | Developer | Media Lounge | Reprints and Permissions
News Your Way: Mobile News |

Email News | Add USATODAY.com RSS feeds | Twitter | Podcasts | Widgets

Partners: USA WEEKEND | Sports Weekly | Education | Space.com | Travel Tips
Copyright 2011 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/money/autos/2009­05­11­chrysler­gm­cash­clunkers_N.htm

2/3

2/17/2015

Auto sales fall sharply after end of Clunkers program ­ Oct. 1, 2009

Powered by

Auto sales fall as Clunkers rush ends

Without the popular government program and low inventories, industrywide sales in
September plunge 40% from August.
By Chris Isidore, CNNMoney.com senior writer
Last Updated: October 1, 2009: 4:23 PM ET

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) ­­ The end of the government's popular Cash for Clunkers program and low inventories of vehicles led to a 40% plunge in U.S. auto sales in September compared with August, although year­over­year declines were more modest and generally in line with forecasts.
"The month never felt strong," said Mark LaNeve, vice president of U.S. sales for GM, in a call with analysts.
"I think we're feeling the effects of a post­Clunkers hangover."
Overall industry sales came in at 745,997 vehicles in September according to sales tracker Autodata, down
23% from a year ago. That makes it the worst month since February in what has been a terrible year for auto sales, even with the four­week lift the industry received from the Clunkers program.
Cash for Clunkers, which paid buyers up to $4,500 for their used cars when they purchased more fuel efficient models, spurred strong sales from late July through the end of the program on Aug. 24.
But it likely pulled ahead sales that might have taken place in September and left dealers with limited supplies of vehicles to sell coming into the fall. With low inventories, automakers also scaled back on incentive offers to buyers. "There were a lot of things working against sales in September, and very little wind at their back," said Jeff
Schuster, director of global forecasting for auto consultant J.D. Power & Associates.
Ford Motor (F, Fortune 500) reported the best results of Detroit's Big Three Thursday. Its sales slipped only
5% from a year earlier, although they were off 37% from the rush it got from Cash for Clunkers program in
August.
Still Ford's results were better than the 10% year­over­year drop forecast by sales tracker Edmunds.com.
Rival General Motors reported a 45% drop in sales compared to a year ago, and a 37% drop from August.
Edmunds.com had forecast a 46% decline for the nation's largest automaker.
Mike DiGiovanni, GM's head of sales analysis, said that the negative impact from Clunkers on future sales would diminish in the next few months though. He estimated that only about 30,000 vehicle sales would be lost industrywide in the fourth quarter due to the impact of Clunkers.

http://cnnmoney.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?expire=­1&title=Auto+sales+fall+sharply+after+end+of+Clunkers+program+­+Oct.+1%2C+2009&urlID=4117… 1/2

2/17/2015

Auto sales fall sharply after end of Clunkers program ­ Oct. 1, 2009

DiGiovanni added that, despite a growing belief among economists that the recession has ended, it will take a much bigger rebound in the economy before auto sales truly bounce back.
"We're not going to be completely out of the woods until the job market improves," he said.
Toyota Motor (TM), which had the largest number of Clunkers­related sales, posted a 13% drop in sales compared to a year ago, but that was a 44% plunge from August. Toyota's sales were a bit worse than
Edmunds.com's forecast of a 10% drop, but Toyota said that it believes sales should be stronger in the fourth quarter. It did better than Japanese rival Honda Motor (HMC), which reported a 20% drop from a year earlier and a
52% plunge compared to August, more than twice as bad as the 8% drop in year­over­year sales forecast by
Edmunds.com.
Nissan (NSANY) reported only a 7% slide in sales compared to a year earlier, but that was worse than
Edmunds.com's prediction of a 1% drop. Nissan's September sales were also off 47% from August.
The one major automaker to post improved sales in September was Korea's Hyundai, which reported a 27% gain from a year ago. Still, Hyundai's sales were 48% lower than August's levels.
Chrysler's sales plunged 42% from a year ago, and 33% from August. Chrysler, with a heavier reliance on trucks than other automakers, did not get as much of a sales lift from the Clunkers program. But
Edmunds.com had expected an even worse year­over­year drop of 48%.
"We believe the remainder of 2009 will continue to be a challenge for the U.S. automotive market," said Peter
Fong, the lead sales executive for the Chrysler Group in a statement. "Credit markets have thawed slightly, but still remain tight, and consumer confidence, as we saw in September, is tenuous."
Ford and other automakers have ramped up production to try to replenish supplies, but inventories remained low throughout September.
George Pipas, director of sales analysis for Ford, said the company had an inventory of about 300,000 vehicles at the end of the month, up about 60,000 from the end of August. But he added that was an historic low and that some of those vehicles are still in transit to dealerships.
First Published: October 1, 2009: 12:18 PM ET

Find this article at: http://money.cnn.com/2009/10/01/news/companies/autosales Check the box to include the list of links referenced in the article.

© 2007 Cable News Network LP, LLP.

http://cnnmoney.printthis.clickability.com/pt/cpt?expire=­1&title=Auto+sales+fall+sharply+after+end+of+Clunkers+program+­+Oct.+1%2C+2009&urlID=4117… 2/2

2/26/2015

Home Buyer Tax Credit Called Successful, but Costly ­ NYTimes.com

Reprints
This copy is for your personal, noncommercial use only. You can order presentation­ready copies for distribution to your colleagues, clients or customers here or use the "Reprints" tool that appears next to any article. Visit www.nytreprints.com for samples and additional information. Order a reprint of this article now.

April 26, 2010

Home Tax Credit Called Successful, but
Costly
By DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI

Realtors, home buyers and sellers are rushing to complete sales agreements before the tax credit for home purchases expires this week.
Home buyers must have a deal by April 30 and close by June 30 to qualify for the federal tax break, up to $8,000 for first­timers and $6,500 for those merely moving to a different residence. Though the Treasury Department and the real estate industry have termed the program a success, helping 1.8 million people buy homes, many tax policy experts say it has been singularly cost­ineffective: most of the $12.6 billion in credits through end of February was collected by people who would have bought homes anyway or who in some cases were not even eligible. The credit has caused a surge in sales and has been widely lauded for helping to stabilize prices. In places like Lafayette, Ind., where the number of homes sold in March was up 48 percent over last year, real estate agents say they have been inundated with buyers like James and Aubrey Green, students at Purdue University, who said the credit had persuaded them to jump into the market.
“We were happy in our apartment, but $8,000 was just too much to pass up,” said Mr. Green,
29, who shopped furiously with his wife for two months before signing a contract in March to buy a three­bedroom ranch.

“We bid on a couple places that didn’t work out,” he said, “but we always made sure we had a backup plan because we didn’t want to miss the deadline for the credit. And when we finally
MORE IN BUSINE agreed to a contract, it was this huge relief.”

In Net Neu
F.C.C. Clas
For every home buyer like the Greens, real estate agents say there are at least three others who
Internet Se collected the credit even though they would have bought without it. That means for each new
Utility
buyer who was truly lured into the market by the credit, the federal government paid more
Read More »

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/business/27home.html?pagewanted=print

1/3

2/26/2015

Home Buyer Tax Credit Called Successful, but Costly ­ NYTimes.com

than $30,000.
In addition to legitimate buyers, tens of thousands of people who collected the credit were not qualified. An audit by the Treasury Department’s inspector general released last year found that hundreds of millions of dollars in credits went to people who had not yet bought homes or who were not first­time home buyers, as the program initially required.
Hundreds of others who received the credit were not old enough to sign a binding contract, the audit found, with some as young as 4 years old.
“There’s a political appeal to offering government aid to homeowners because it affects a lot of people,” said George K. Yin, former chief of staff of the Congressional Joint Committee on
Taxation, who now teaches at the University of Virginia. “But if you weigh the cost and the results, you have to wonder whether it’s a failure of imagination.”
The home buyers’ credit was actually an amalgam of three separate programs. It began in spring of 2008 as a $7,500 tax credit that taxpayers were required to repay on their tax returns over a 15­year period.
After the financial crisis that fall and taxpayer anger over the hundreds of billions in bailout money being directed to banks and Wall Street firms, a broad subsidy for middle­class homeowners had wide political appeal. So Congress sweetened the plan — dropping the repayment requirement and increasing the credit to $8,000 — and included it in the economic stimulus bills.
Last November, with the residential market beginning to rebound, Congress extended the period for five months and added a $6,500 credit for existing homeowners looking to relocate.
After the number of homes sold in January and February dropped to record lows, sales rose 6.8 percent in March from a year earlier, as buyers raced to cash in before the credit expired.
Nearly half of all March home sales involved first­time buyers, according to the National
Association of Realtors.
“It’s true that a lot of people who got the credit might have bought without it, but they might have bought in 2012 or 2013,” said Senator Johnny Isakson, a Republican from Georgia, who worked for 30 years as an agent. “This got them to buy in 2009 and 2010, when we needed to shore things up.”
But the program was open to widespread misuse. The first two phases of the credit did not require taxpayers to prove that they had actually bought a house. The Treasury’s inspector general found in October 2009 that the I.R.S. had allowed $139 million in credits to people http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/business/27home.html?pagewanted=print 2/3

2/26/2015

Home Buyer Tax Credit Called Successful, but Costly ­ NYTimes.com

who had not yet bought homes, and $479 million to taxpayers who were not first­time buyers.
The I.R.S. resisted proposals to require proof that a home had been bought, with officials saying that the additional paperwork would be too onerous because it would prevent returns from being filed electronically. Tighter restrictions were nonetheless enacted: as of last fall, those claiming the credit were required to file a paper return and provide documentation that they had bought a house.
I.R.S. officials say that examiners found more than 70,000 taxpayers who had improperly claimed the credit, but were unable to say how much money had been recovered. Frank Keith, an I.R.S. spokesman, said that given the complexities of the program, “we did an effective job” administering it.
Some tax policy experts suggest that the federal government might have used the money more effectively by creating a program to help unemployed homeowners stave off foreclosure.
“If you tried to address the supply side of the housing market rather than the demand side, you could target your resources more effectively,” said Roberton Williams, an analyst at the Tax
Policy Center. “And you’d also have the benefit of helping to keep people from losing their homes instead of subsidizing people who were going to buy anyway.”
But other economists say that, whatever its inefficiencies, the home buyers’ credit had a valuable effect on the psychology of millions of Americans who were alarmed to watch their largest investment lose value.
“The tax credit helped to stanch the price declines, which had substantial benefit for the entire economy,” said Mark Zandi at Moody’s Economy.com. “The home is still the largest asset on most people’s balance sheet, so when prices are falling, nothing works for most families. But now people can take a deep breath and think clearly again.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/27/business/27home.html?pagewanted=print

3/3

2/25/2015

Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com

» Print

This copy is for your personal, non­commercial use only. To order presentation­ready copies for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, use the Reprints tool at the top of any article or visit: www.reutersreprints.com.

U.S. auto sales fall as recession deepens
Tue, Mar 3 2009

By Kevin Krolicki
DETROIT (Reuters) ­ U.S. auto sales dropped by more than 41 percent in
February to the lowest level in almost three decades as deepening economic uncertainty drove Americans away from big purchases and new debt despite aggressive discounts from major automakers.
General Motors Corp, which is racing to complete a restructuring plan this month to keep it from bankruptcy, led the sinking industry lower with a 53 percent drop in sales.
The results mark the 16th consecutive monthly drop in auto sales and come as a deepening recession in the United States and slowing global markets have pushed automakers to ratchet back production, ramp up discounts and seek government financing in a bid to survive.
"In our view, we are in an automotive depression," said Standard & Poor's equity analyst Efraim Levy.
"Shell­shocked consumers fearful for their jobs, the value of their homes and stock market assets are wary of making the sizable discretionary purchases," he said.
Sales at Ford Motor Co, now considered the best­positioned of the embattled U.S. automakers, dropped 48 percent in
February. Chrysler LLC posted a drop of 44 percent.
Japanese automakers fared only slightly better with sales drops of 37 percent at Toyota Motor Corp and Nissan Motor Co and 38 percent at Honda Motor Co.
GM, which has been kept afloat with $13.4 billion in U.S. government loans and needs more aid this month, said the industry­wide sales plunge brought February sales to the lowest level for the month since 1967.
Overall sales fell to 9.1 million vehicles on the annualized basis tracked by analysts, the lowest level on that basis since
December 1981.
"These are obviously unsustainable levels and will cause almost every major automaker across the world to seek government aid," said GM's chief sales analyst Mike DiGiovanni.
Toyota, which passed GM as the world's largest automaker last year, said earlier it had applied for a Japanese government loan to help its finance arm cut funding costs.
U.S. auto sales account for as much as one­fifth of retail sales. The results made it certain the battered sector will be a further drag on a weakening economy in the current quarter.
Ford and GM responded to the weak sales results by dropping planned production for the second quarter. GM cut its quarterly production plan by 34 percent.
Ford said it would cut quarterly production by an even deeper 38 percent, saying it would take a hit on the lost revenue in order to keep inventories in check.
HOPES FOR SECOND­HALF TURNAROUND DEBATED
Ford and Toyota have held out hope that sales and the U.S. economy could begin to recover by the second half of the year.
Toyota said it was still banking on a turnaround in the U.S. market at some point this summer but said the timing remained in doubt. "It's just a question of when in this summer we start to push off this bottom," said Bob Carter, general manager of Toyota's flagship brand in the United States. "We remain confident that will happen and it's part of our plan."
But Ford executives said nothing in the grim February results supported that more optimistic view.
"It may be that this month represents the bottom but there is no economic anchor to allow us to make that call definitively," said Ford economist Emily Kolinksi Morris.
S&P's Levy said he did not see an uptick in U.S. vehicle demand until the fourth quarter at the earliest.
Meanwhile, there were some worrying signs that retail sales in February had dropped from the already­weak but steadier levels of the past four months.
Sales of cars and trucks through showrooms dropped to an annualized rate of 7 million to 7.5 million in February, down from http://www.reuters.com/assets/print?aid=USWEN543220090303 1/2

2/25/2015

Business & Financial News, Breaking US & International News | Reuters.com

more than 8 million in recent months. The remainder of the industry's sales go to big fleet operators, like car rental companies and government agencies.
The retail sales contraction came despite steeper discounts. Industry­tracking firm Edmunds.com estimated incentives, including rebates and low­cost financing, rose 16 percent from a year earlier to an average of over $2,900.
Chrysler LLC, which has been among the hardest hit in the downturn and kept afloat by $4 billion in government aid, led the way on incentives, according to Edmunds.
Chrysler spent more than $6,000 per vehicle on incentives in February, followed by nearly $5,700 at its Dodge brand,
Edmunds said.
Chrysler said it would keep a program of employee pricing and other discounts on offer through March, saying the program had helped it gain ground with remaining car buyers.
Meanwhile, South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co outperformed again in a collapsing market. Its sales were down only 1.5 percent. Hyundai affiliate Kia even eked out 85 more vehicle sales in February than its year­earlier tally.
Hyundai has been buoyed by a promotion that allows Americans to return new cars if they lose their jobs.
GM said it was studying the Hyundai offer and expected to roll out a program of its own intended to reassure consumers worried about new debt when the job market is tanking.
Separately, GM also said on Tuesday it would purchase Delphi Corp's steering business and accelerate payments to help the supplier exit bankruptcy.
(Reporting by Kevin Krolicki, editing by Matthew Lewis)
© Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non­commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters and its logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Thomson Reuters group of companies around the world.
Thomson Reuters journalists are subject to an Editorial Handbook which requires fair presentation and disclosure of relevant interests.
This copy is for your personal, non­commercial use only. To order presentation­ready copies for distribution to colleagues, clients or customers, use the Reprints tool at the top of any article or visit: www.reutersreprints.com.

http://www.reuters.com/assets/print?aid=USWEN543220090303

2/2

2/26/2015

The Real Story Behind Existing Home Sales: It Was The Lowest Since 1996, And Inventory Is Now Sky­High ­ Business Insider

The Real Story Behind Existing
Home Sales: It Was The Lowest
Since 1996, And Inventory Is Now
Sky­High
CALCULATED RISK
AUG. 24, 2010, 11:18 AM

The NAR reports: July Existing­Home Sales Fall as Expected but Prices Rise
Existing­home sales, which are completed transactions that include single­family, townhomes, condominiums and co­ops, dropped 27.2 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.83 million units in July from a downwardly revised 5.26 million in June, and are 25.5 percent below the 5.14 million­unit level in July 2009.
Sales are at the lowest level since the total existing­home sales series launched in
1999, and single family sales – accounting for the bulk of transactions – are at the lowest level since May of 1995.
...
Total housing inventory at the end of July increased 2.5 percent to 3.98 million existing homes available for sale, which represents a 12.5­month supply at the current sales pace, up from an 8.9­month supply in June.
Click on graph for larger image in new window.
This graph shows existing home sales, on a Seasonally Adjusted Annual Rate (SAAR) basis since 1993.
Sales in July 2010 (3.83 million SAAR) were 27.2% lower than last month, and were
25.5% lower than July 2009 (5.14 million SAAR).
The second graph shows nationwide inventory for existing homes.
According to the NAR, inventory increased to 3.98 million in July from 3.89 million in
June. The all time record high was 4.58 million homes for sale in July 2008. http://www.businessinsider.com/the­real­story­behind­existing­home­sales­it­was­the­lowest­since­1996­and­inventory­is­now­sky­high­2010­8 1/2

2/26/2015

The Real Story Behind Existing Home Sales: It Was The Lowest Since 1996, And Inventory Is Now Sky­High ­ Business Insider

Inventory is not seasonally adjusted and there is a clear seasonal pattern with inventory increasing in the spring and into the summer.
I'll have more on inventory later ...
The last graph shows the
'months of supply' metric.
Calculated Risk

Months of supply increased to 12.5 months in July from
8.9 months in June. A normal market has under 6 months of supply, so this is extremely high and suggests prices, as measured by the repeat sales indexes like Case­Shiller and
CoreLogic, will start declining. Calculated Risk

Ignore the median price!

Double digit supply and lowest sales rate since 1996 are the key stories.
I'll have more soon.

Calculated Risk

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­
This guest post previously appeared at Calculated Risk >
* Copyright © 2015 Business Insider Inc. All rights reserved.

http://www.businessinsider.com/the­real­story­behind­existing­home­sales­it­was­the­lowest­since­1996­and­inventory­is­now­sky­high­2010­8

2/2

2/26/2015

Home

First­Time Home Buyer Tax Credit: 6 Things to Know ­ US News

Retirement

Personal Finance

Careers

Investing

Real Estate

First­Time Home Buyer Tax Credit: 6
Things to Know
The recently­signed stimulus package includes an $8,000 incentive for eligible home buyers.
By Luke Mullins

Feb. 17, 2009 | 6:19 p.m. EST

+ More

While the proposed $15,000 home­buyer tax credit died in negotiations between the House and the
Senate, the $787 billion stimulus bill that President Barack Obama signed into law Tuesday includes a similar­­albeit smaller­­measure designed to help revive the real estate market. Here are six things you need to know about the freshly­enacted $8,000 first­time home buyer tax credit.
1. Eight grand, new buyers: The tax credit included in the economic stimulus legislation is much narrower than the $15,000 proposal. This credit is equivalent to 10 percent of the purchase price of the home­­although it's capped at $8,000­­and applies only to first­time home buyers and principal residences. But unlike an earlier $7,500 home buyer tax credit, this one does not have to be repaid.
2. First time buyers defined: For the purpose of this legislation, a "first­time home buyer" is someone who hasn't owned a principal residence for three years before buying a house. (The date of purchase is considered the day that the title is transferred.) That means if you've owned a vacation home­­but not a principal residence­­within the past three years, you would still qualify for the credit.
3. 2009 buyers only: Only those who purchase a home on or after January 1 and before December 1,
2009 are eligible for the credit. Anyone who bought a home last year won't be able to take advantage of it.
4. Income limits: The tax credit is subject to income limitations. Single buyers need a modified adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less to qualify for the full credit, that's $150,000 for married couples. Those earning more than these thresholds may be eligible for reduced credits.
5. Refundable: Because the tax credit is "refundable," qualified buyers can take advantage of it even if they don't have much tax liability.
6. Recapture: Buyers have to own the home for at least three years in order to capitalize on the credit.
If they sell the home before then, they will have to return the credit to the government. (Exceptions will be made in certain cases, such as death or divorce.)

+ More

You Might Also Like

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/the­home­front/2009/02/17/first­time­home­buyer­tax­credit­6­things­to­know

1/2

2/26/2015

First­Time Home Buyer Tax Credit: 6 Things to Know ­ US News

Obama Behind the Scenes

Gun Control and Gun Rights

Editorial Cartoons on Barack

Cartoons

Obama

News

Rankings & Consumer Advice

News Home

Education

Health

Money

Travel

Cars

Opinion

Colleges

Hospitals

Jobs

Vacations

New Cars

National Issues

Graduate Schools

Doctor Finder

Financial Advisors

Cruises

Used Cars

Cartoons

High Schools

Diets

ETFs

Hotels

Photos

Online Programs

Nursing Homes

Mutual Funds

Hotel Rewards

Videos

Community Colleges

Health Products

Retirement

Airline Rewards

Special Reports

Global Universities

Health Insurance

Arab Universities

Medicare

About U.S. News

Press Room

Connect with us:

Contact Us
Site Map

Advertising Info
Store

Copyright 2015 © U.S. News & World Report LP.
Terms and Conditions / Privacy Policy.

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/the­home­front/2009/02/17/first­time­home­buyer­tax­credit­6­things­to­know

Law
Law Firms

2/2

2/26/2015

Home

House Votes to Extend First­Time Home Buyer Tax Credit for Service Members ­ US News

Retirement

Personal Finance

Careers

Investing

Real Estate

House Votes to Extend First­Time
Home Buyer Tax Credit for Service
Members
The development comes amid mounting speculation over the future of the popular tax perk.
By Luke Mullins

Oct. 8, 2009 | 6:15 p.m. EDT

+ More

Amid mounting speculation over the future of the $8,000 first­time home buyer tax credit, Congress moved today to give American service members another 12 months to claim the popular incentive. The
House of Representatives voted 416 to 0 to pass the Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of
2009, which pushes the credit's current November 30 deadline back an additional year for members of the military, Foreign Service, and intelligence corps who served at least three months of qualified overseas duty in 2009. "This bill makes sure that the brave men and women who put their lives on the line every day get to enjoy the same benefits as every other American who benefits from their service," said Rep. Charles Rangel, the New York Democrat who introduced the bill. "By extending the first­time homebuyer tax credit for service members overseas, we give these families more time to utilize the benefit, while also helping our economy continue its recovery." Here are five things you need to know about the development:
[Will the $8,000 First­Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Be Extended?]
1. Missing out: The $8,000 first­time home buyer tax credit was part of President Barack Obama's
$787 billion economic stimulus package, which he signed into law in February. The incentive has since been popular with home buyers; Mark Zandi, the chief economist at Moody's Economy.com, expects the program to generate as many as 400,000 additional new and existing home sales by the end of
November, when the program is set to expire. But since many American service members have been living overseas, it has been difficult for them to take advantage of the program. "If you are in a conflict zone, you don't have time to get together with your spouse and family to go house shopping," says
Rep. Ron Kind, a Wisconsin Democrat. Rep. Dave Camp, a Republican from Michigan, expressed similar concerns. "A lot of service members get called overseas at a moment's notice," Camp says.
"And because of the time limit on the legislation now, they can't always take advantage of it, not because of anything that they did or didn't do but because of the unique nature of serving in our armed forces." The legislation the House passed today provides American service members with additional latitude to take advantage of the credit.
[New Home Buyer Tax Credit: 7 Things You Need to Know.]
2. Impact: Robert Dietz, the director of tax issues for the National Association of Home Builders, estimates that the new legislation will result in an additional 10,000 home sales. (Kind projected a similar outcome.) And while these additional sales are unlikely to affect the real estate market at the national level, since service members tend to live in clusters—around Army bases, for example—the extension could end up benefiting some individual housing markets more profoundly, Dietz says.
"Ordinarily, I would say 10,000 [additional home sales] is not a big deal," Dietz says. "But in this case, in certain communities—since housing is local—it could be a decent [boost]."
[Backlog of Unsold New Homes Dwindling: 5 Things to Know.]
3. Costs: The housing tax credit components of the bill are projected to trigger a $77 million loss of federal revenue over the next 10 years. Other parts of the bill, however, generate enough new income
—by raising penalties associated with late filings of certain partnership and corporation documents, for

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/the­home­front/2009/10/08/house­votes­to­extend­first­time­home­buyer­tax­credit­for­service­members

1/2

2/26/2015

House Votes to Extend First­Time Home Buyer Tax Credit for Service Members ­ US News

example—to ensure that it will not add to the government's yawning budget deficits. "It's revenue neutral," Camp says. "It was fully paid for.
4. Political outlook: From here, the action now moves to the Senate, which must also pass the measure before it can be signed by the president. "I would expect it is going to receive wide bipartisan support," Kind says. "It's the least that our government can do for our service men and women." Scott
Talbott, a top lobbyist for the Financial Services Roundtable, agrees. "It probably has even better odds in the Senate," he says. "Service men and women need it as much as anyone."
5. Extension for all first­time buyers: The development comes as lawmakers step up their efforts to extend the tax credit for all first­time homebuyers. The issue was raised yesterday during a meeting at the White House between congressional leaders and President Obama." We need to continue working toward ensuring that more families can stay in their current homes and continue efforts to strengthen the housing market by extending the homebuyer tax credit," Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a
Democrat from Nevada, said after the meeting. Senator Johnny Isakson, a Republican from Georgia, has introduced legislation that would extend the credit for an additional year. Reid, meanwhile, has endorsed a bill introduced by Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin, a Democrat, pushing the deadline back for six months. Talbott says the six­month extension is "very likely" to become a reality. "It threads the needles of politics and costs," Talbott says. "The U.S. economy and the housing market desperately need it."

TAGS: tax exemptions, housing
+ More

You Might Also Like

Obama Behind the Scenes

Gun Control and Gun Rights
Cartoons

Editorial Cartoons on Barack
Obama

News

Rankings & Consumer Advice

News Home

Education

Health

Money

Travel

Cars

Opinion

Colleges

Hospitals

Jobs

Vacations

New Cars

National Issues

Graduate Schools

Doctor Finder

Financial Advisors

Cruises

Used Cars

Cartoons

High Schools

Diets

ETFs

Hotels

Photos

Online Programs

Nursing Homes

Mutual Funds

Hotel Rewards

Videos

Community Colleges

Health Products

Retirement

Airline Rewards

Special Reports

Global Universities

Health Insurance

Arab Universities

Medicare

About U.S. News

Press Room

Connect with us:

Contact Us
Site Map

Advertising Info
Store

Copyright 2015 © U.S. News & World Report LP.

Law
Law Firms

Terms and Conditions / Privacy Policy.

http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/the­home­front/2009/10/08/house­votes­to­extend­first­time­home­buyer­tax­credit­for­service­members

2/2

BLS SPOTLIGHT ON STATISTICS THE RECESSION OF 2007–2009

www.bls.gov/spotlight

The Recession of 2007–2009
February 2012

A general slowdown in economic activity, a downturn in the business cycle, a reduction in the amount of goods and services produced and sold—these are all characteristics of a recession. According to the National Bureau of Economic
Research (the official arbiter of U.S. recessions), there were 10 recessions between 1948 and 2011. The most recent recession began in December
2007 and ended in June 2009, though many of the statistics that describe the
U.S. economy have yet to return to their pre-recession values. In this Spotlight, we present BLS data that compare the recent recession to previous recessions.

U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS

1

2/27/2015

U.S. Market New Vehicle Retail Sales & Stock, Sales of new Cars and Trucks

Total Vehicle Sales
Total Vehicle sales released by the Autodata Corp. measures vehicle sales in the U.S. It is considered as an indicator for consumer confidence. The data measures the monthly sales of new Cars and Trucks. These sales comprise approximately 25% of total retail sales.

ECONOMIC INDICATORS

Market Reaction:
Auto Sales Up – Dollar Up
Auto Sales Down – Dollar Down
A high reading is seen as positive (or bullish) for the USD, while a low reading is seen as negative (or bearish). No comments yet.

Add a comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.

data:text/html;charset=utf­8,%3Ch1%20style%3D%22margin%3A%200px%3B%20padding%3A%200px%3B%20border%3A%200px%3B%20outline%3A%200…

1/1

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Pbs: Inside the Meltdown Review

...Background September 18th 2008 - They had bailed out one bank, that unless we give bailouts, the financial system will fail. Spring 2008 - After the housing bubble burst. - Wall St gambled on risky loans. CNBC is important in Wall St. Bear Stearns Bear Sterns, the stocks go down. - Stocks fall for 171 to 60, people nervous. Ran out of cash. But they have cash and no problems. They bought bundled subprime mortgage. - Because they thought housing can only go up. - The value of houses have gone down. - High-risk loans in the reaper market. Goldman Sachs may be deserting Stearns. - Public acknowledgement of its bad. They only had option, to raise capital. - Federal System, Tim Gygner - Morgan, The Fed found toxic assets. Billion in hidden subprime mortgage loans and credit default swaps. - Credit Swap: - I sell you insurance, if they cannot pay, we pay. - They bought so many, hundreds of billions of dollars. If they can’t pay people back, it would cause collapse - There would be systemic risk, because Stearns is so connected to the banking world. - If we allowed them to fail, they would collapse. Federal Reserve and JP Morgan payout - JP Morgan and Federal Reserve provided secure bailout. Moral Hazard If you bail someone out of a self-inflicted problem, what can they do Paulson made millions of dollars, anti-government. There is no responsibility, Bear Stearns was bought by JP Morgan. Post-Bear...

Words: 568 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Ethic

...economist testifies before Congress, is interviewed in the press, or otherwise weighs in on policy debates without disclosing that, in addition to his academic affiliation, he also has financial/professional ties that may color (or appear to color) his objectivity. Several recent developments have drawn attention to the issue. First, there’s Inside Job, a documentary film that explores the causes of the financial crisis and deals harshly with high-profile academic economists who had undisclosed financial ties. For example, the film includes a painful-to-watch interview (available online) in which Frederic Mishkin, a professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business and a former Federal Reserve Governor, reluctantly admits that Iceland’s Chamber of Commerce paid him $124,000 to write a paper endorsing the country’s stable business environment, a fact not disclosed in the paper. Next, there’s Financial Economists, Financial Interests and Dark Corners of the Meltdown: It’s Time to Set Ethical Standards for the Economics Profession (available online), a research paper in which two University of Massachusetts scholars review publicly available information about 19 prominent economists. The UMass scholars found, among other things, that when writing articles, granting interviews, or providing testimony on policy matters, the economists typically identified themselves only by reference to their academic positions, without mentioning Wall Street ties. One example cited...

Words: 594 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Inside Job - Review

...ADMAP REVIEW OF THE MOVIE – INSIDE JOB Rohan Rambhia | PGP-10-155 Inside Job is an exemplary recount of how administrator’s role when exploited to form risky administrative strategies by means of faulty processes lead to a crisis of the stature of the recession of 2008. It is a comprehensive documentary which narrates the history of the collapse, not only going into great, informative depth about the risk-based strategies that put the global economy on the line, but looks back to the rise of the financial industry. The biggest question which the documentary arouses is that knowing what happened, why are the miscreants not being punished? As the director, Charles Ferguson, himself stated while receiving the Oscar, “Forgive me, I must start by pointing out that three years after our horrific financial crisis caused by massive fraud, not a single financial executive has gone to jail, and that's wrong.”1 Lets us first look at the prelude (context) of this financial crisis: ADMAP REVIEW OF THE MOVIE – INSIDE JOB The Clinton era (1990s) worked as a bridge between the Wall Street and the government. More and more Wall Street CEOs gained access to the government, taking up administrative positions like 2 • Robert Rubin On Wall Street: Chairman and COO of Goldman Sachs For the Government: Secretary of Treasury under Bill Clinton Laura Tyson On Wall Street: Board director of Stanley Morgan For the government: Chair of the US President's Council of Economic Advisers during...

Words: 2210 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Inside Job- Review

...“Inside Job” Movie review -Deepshikha Dubey SYBCOM (Hons) Roll number-1071 ‘I nside job’ true to its title, is an exasperating documentary about the actual causes and consequences of the financial crisis of 2008. Directed by Charles Ferguson and narrated by Matt Damon, the movie is not a piece of muckraking or breathless support. It rests its infuriation on proper reason, research, figures and careful argument. Several interviews of eminent personalities from political, financial and academic backgrounds, along with news clips and aerial shots of New York, Iceland, London and other disaster areas — are all in there! Though dealing with a very complex issue, the movie has beautifully dealt with the topic and made it much easier for common man to understand the reason behind the nerve wrecking recent financial crisis that hit USA and then the world’s economy. The film is divided into five main parts, covering a wide scope- Who, what, when, why, how… it is all answered! Unlike most other documentaries that have been released over the past several years, ‘inside job’ bases its arguments on numbers and facts and doesn't just emotions. The first part of the movie- “How we got here?” Takes the viewers back to history in the 1930s when US had a strong financial system. The regular banks were local businesses and were not allowed to mess around with the depositor’s money. The investment banks were private partnerships and thus did not make risky investments...

Words: 1328 - Pages: 6

Free Essay

Inside Job

...economist testifies before Congress, is interviewed in the press, or otherwise weighs in on policy debates without disclosing that, in addition to his academic affiliation, he also has financial/professional ties that may color (or appear to color) his objectivity. Several recent developments have drawn attention to the issue. First, there’s Inside Job, a documentary film that explores the causes of the financial crisis and deals harshly with high-profile academic economists who had undisclosed financial ties. For example, the film includes a painful-to-watch interview (available online) in which Frederic Mishkin, a professor at Columbia University’s Graduate School of Business and a former Federal Reserve Governor, reluctantly admits that Iceland’s Chamber of Commerce paid him $124,000 to write a paper endorsing the country’s stable business environment, a fact not disclosed in the paper. Next, there’s Financial Economists, Financial Interests and Dark Corners of the Meltdown: It’s Time to Set Ethical Standards for the Economics Profession (available online), a research paper in which two University of Massachusetts scholars review publicly available information about 19 prominent economists. The UMass scholars found, among other things, that when writing articles, granting interviews, or providing testimony on policy matters, the economists typically identified themselves only by reference to their academic positions, without mentioning Wall Street...

Words: 271 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

What Moral Obligation Government Has to Citizens and Communities

...Ideologies and Ethical implication of Society [Name of the Writer] [Name of the Institution] What moral obligation Government has to citizens and Communities The matters of every Country existed in this universe is handled by certain group of people that are elected by residents of that country is called Government, this elected body of people has certain moral, ethical and Social obligation toward their citizens. On the basis of following ethical concepts the moral obligation of the government will be discussed by providing clear examples from the Inside jobs Social Contract theory The basic concept of social contract theory is that it provides the need to maintain social order among them to maintain the level of ethical morality, it is very important to develop such order in order to leave the life among each other with mutual respect and trust. According to modern authors like Hobbes who explained that without social contract the live of the people will be dangerous as everyone will be willing to do what he wants (Browne, J, K, 2008). There are four important factors that every individual require to live the life comfortably and if these are not provided and society without any mutual agreement will be doomed • Equality of life: (all the basic needs like food, clothing and shelter must be equally provide to everyone) • Scarcity: (supply of food, clothes and shelter is limited so if it is not equally distributed that economic scarcity...

Words: 1671 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

The Pros And Cons Of Nuclear Power Plants

...this radioactivity cannot spread by contamination, like fire or disease. In a severe nuclear accident in a common area, the heat unleashed by this perish can put an end to a reactor. A lot of people who get radiation treatment have skin changes and some weakness. Other side effects depend on the part of your body being cured. Skin changes may include dryness, burning, peeling, or blistering. These changes take place because radiation therapy compensates healthy skin cells in the treatment area. In 2011 about 19,000 people were lost in the tidal wave that triggered the destruction of several reactors at Fukushima Daiichi. (National Geographic, 2012) Three years have passed since the atomic power plant in Fukushima had to cope with that meltdown. (McCurry, 2013) Twenty-five years prior, in April of 1986, a disastrous nuclear calamity of the same magnitude 7 on the International Nuclear Disaster Scale (INDS) happened at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Ukraine. Following the Chernobyl experience, biologists were able to collect biological samples and data after widespread delays. These postponements in the beginning of biological studies give rise to a loss of important information on the impacts of ionizing radiation to environments and human populations. To avoid repeating such inadequacies, biologists in Japan, with the additional effort of the worldwide scientific community, began in the summer of 2011 to study results of the nuclear accident in Fukushima. The gigantic...

Words: 1589 - Pages: 7

Free Essay

Environmental Policy Final Paper

...Fukushima Radiation Causes Growing National Concern: Time for New EPA Policy Eric Zoppi 3279672 2 December 2013 On March 11th, 2011 the Tōhoku earthquake and the resulting tsunami wreaked havoc upon Japan. Unfortunately, this natural disaster resulted in the largest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, as the tsunami crippled the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Following this severe breach in security, numerous radioactive isotopes and radioactive particles were released into the environment, specifically the Pacific Ocean and the surrounding air/atmosphere, thus contaminating groundwater, soil and seawater, as well as effectively shutting down a myriad of Japanese fisheries. The ocean and air mainly came in contact with high levels of Iodine-131, Cesium-137, and Cesium-134, as well as lower levels of Tellurium, Uranium, and Strontium, which were concentrated closer to the surrounding area of the nuclear power plant. However, the impact that these radioactive materials will have upon the United States, in particular, has caused quite the national controversy. Despite heavy national acceptance of the occurrence of the disaster, two popular and opposing hypotheses have formed as a result of the Media’s lack of focus on recent analyses of the impending effects of Fukushima Disaster upon the U.S.: (1) the radioactive material that leaked as a result of the TEPCO nuclear power plant failure will not have a drastic, threatening...

Words: 4187 - Pages: 17

Premium Essay

Bursting Bubbles and the Financial Crisis

...In the spring of 2008, the world was hit by the worst Financial Crisis since World War 2. The crisis began during the Reagan administration and concluded a couple decades later with the collapse of the housing bubble. Behavioral Finance defines the term “bubble” as an event occurring before a market crash due to overvalued market prices (Ricciardi 2000). The housing bubble, which grew alongside the stock bubble in the mid 90’s, eventually burst, and a financial meltdown ensued. Initially, one bank was crippled and two of the worlds’ largest mortgage investors followed, plummeting our country deeper into debt. In this paper, I will discuss the days leading up to the housing bubble, causes of the bubble, the grim days after the bubble burst and the solutions which quelled the global crisis. The crisis began during the Reagan administration when free market believers, such as Alan Greenspan, were in power. As chairman of the Federal Reserve, Greenspan believed that any problem in the market would work itself out, and paid little attention to regulations and fraud. After Clinton was elected to office, Greenspan would team up with Robert Rubin, the assistant to Clinton on economic policy and Larry Summers, Rubins top deputy. While power shifted in New York, Washington started to look into over the counter derivatives. Washington would hire Brooksley Born, a long time securities lawyer with ties to the Clintons, of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission to step in and look over...

Words: 1345 - Pages: 6

Premium Essay

History 102 Term Paper

...Tom Fernandez Professor James Terry HIST-102-H1 25 April 2013 The 2003-2007 real estate boom which led to the eventual 2008 meltdown of the U.S. financial markets unfortunately was not contained to the big banks and investment firms based mostly in New York City. By the time bailouts were implemented by the United States government, the effects of the financial crisis were exported to Europe. States similar, but not limited to Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain (PIIGS) have each been in the media spotlight in recent years as attempts to rescue their respective financial markets are implemented. Unfortunately, many efforts made by Eurozone member states and other international actors have failed in alleviating the financial stresses of the region. Considering this, then, is there really a permanent solution that can not only relieve financial markets but also prevent the crises from spreading? To date, the European Unions’ collective response up to this point has been insufficient in order to curb the further slide into Europe’s second recession. I contend, then, that Europe and the Euro would greatly benefit from following many if not all of Germany’s internal budgetary constraints in order to fix the overall problem of debt and spending. One of original intentions of the euro when it was established in 1992 was to limit the amount of budget deficit a sovereign member state could have. Furthermore, the euro was designed to prevent a “bailout” should a state be...

Words: 3864 - Pages: 16

Free Essay

Asdfadsfasdf

...America By Touré Health » Teen Sex Ed Helps Kids Wait Longer By Bonnie Rochman Must See Pictures of the Week: March 2 – March 9 From the Presidential election in Russia to fires in Congo, TIME's photo department presents the most compelling images of the week. Mohamed al-Sayaghi / Reuters Al-Qaeda, and Saleh, Cast Long Shadows Over 'New' Yemen By Tom Finn / Sanaa The Challenges Facing Yemen's New President Photos: Yemen on the Brink Rick Santorum Wins Handily in Kansas GOP Caucuses By Associated Press House Upset in Ohio: Signs of a Weak GOP Majority? Why Do We Want an iPad So Badly? The Psychology of Gadgets, Explained By Susan Krauss Whitbourne Five New and Noteworthy iPad Features Inside TIME.com Photos Iditarod: The Last Great Race on Earth Palestinians Protest in the West Bank South Asia Celebrates Holi Videos Marvin Quasniki: A Muppet for President? Five New and Noteworthy iPad Features Policing the Olympic...

Words: 1227 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Finanacial Crisis

...Current Financial Crisis: a review of some of the consequences, policy actions and recent trends1 By Sameer Khatiwada and Emily McGirr, International Institute for Labour Studies2 What is happening? On the heels of the near bankruptcy of a major insurance company and the effective end of all major US investment banks, financial markets around the world sustained severe losses in the first two weeks of October, 2008, accelerating the downward trend that started at the beginning of the year. As a consequence, from New York to Moscow, and London to Sao Paulo, equity prices have fallen sharply – with the major stock indices of the G7 and BRICs losing nearly half of their value since the beginning of the year. This has seriously damaged banks’ balance sheets and restricted their lending capacity. With the cost of short-term credit rising dramatically and liquidity drying up, these events have been dubbed the worst financial meltdown since the Great Depression in 1930s. More importantly, the shock waves from the US financial market have spread throughout the globe, with many countries on the brink of recession (see Figure 1, Appendix). How did a “house fire” in America turn into a global banking crisis? Sub-prime mortgages are a financial innovation designed to provide home ownership opportunities to borrowers in the U.S. with a higher risk profile (such as borrowers with low incomes, bad credit histories or limited disposable income). Most of the sub-prime ...

Words: 4382 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Book Review of Boris Yeltsin`S “Midnight Diaries”

...Critical Book Review of Boris Yeltsin`s “Midnight Diaries” Boris Yeltsin was the first freely elected President of Russia. He was President during the first turbulent decade of Post-Communist Russia. In his third memoirs Boris Yeltsin talks about his last years in presidential office: the presidential election campaign in 1996 and the role of his daughter Tatiana; the special relationship between Germany, France and Russia, which had developed after 1997; the inclusion of Russia into the G8-summits in 1998 and his attempts to maintain Russians position as a global power; the economic decline after the financial crisis of 1998 and his efforts to reform the economy; the wars in Chechnya and in the Kosovo in 1999 and the crisis of the military; his last public appearance to an international audience - the OSCE summit in Istanbul in 1999. Yeltsin talks not less frankly about his clashes with the Duma and his maneuvers with the new domestic political forces; the qualities of his five Prime Ministers and the transfer of power to Vladimir Putin; the eastward enlargement of NATO and the EU and his attempts to include Russia in the political and economic institutions of the West; his relationships with the Western leaders (Bill Clinton, Helmut Kohl and Gerhard Schröder) and his health problems that prevented him repeatedly from performing his duties. Boris Yeltsin’s career reflects the changes in Russia throughout the 20th century. He was a communist apparatchik who supervised the...

Words: 1189 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

What Happened to Toyota

...recommended by CR, the trajectory shows significant decline for Toyota models from 85% recommended in 2008, to 73% in 2009, to 47% in 2010 the sharp drop in 2010 partially reflects recent recalls. By comparison, CR recommended 70% of Nissans in 2008, 77% in 2009 and 95% in 2010. EOQ June 2011 4 Figure 1: How Toyota’s Reliability Compares to Selected Competitors (Toyota shown in blue dotted line; Competitors shown in red solid line) Chevrolet Ford Honda Hyundai INITIAL QUALITY STUDY, problems per 100 cars measured at 90 days of ownership. J.D. Power & Associates VEHICLE DEPENDABILITY STUDY, problems per 100 cars experienced by original owners of three year old vehicles. Source: Author’s estimate on data shown in “Inside Toyota, Executive Trade Blame Over Debacle”, Wall Street Journal, (April 14, 2010): EOQ June 2011 5 A18. Different scales for the two different figures reflect WSJ’s mode of presentation. U.S. Media Attention Regarding Toyota Recalls • Extraordinary media attention • A media...

Words: 1049 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Campbell and Bailyn’s Boston Office: Managing the Reorganization

...Case: Campbell and Bailyn’s Boston Office: Managing the Reorganization Executive summary: This case was about issues that Ken Winston, the regional office manager Campbell and Bailyn’s Boston Office faced with as a result of the two recent changes in organizational structure and performance management system to react to the dynamic of the industry and market. The issues created by these two changes were process complication, limitation in competitive advantages, and discouragement on internal collaboration. We recommend Winston to engage KAT and sales specialist team, define measureable goals to each individual, set up one common organizational goal and make it as part of the performance assessment and hold more company events to encourage collaboration and relationship. With this solution, Winston will be able to ease the process, build stronger sales team, maintain market share, gain sales, maintain profit and create good and healthy working environment within the organization. 1. Situation analysis Campbell and Bailyn (C & B), found in the early 1900s and based in New York, was one of the five largest investment bank in the worlds. The firm has good reputation and was doing well in all segments of the investment banking industry. Within the firm, the bond division, which had been the fastest growing unit, had eight regional sales offices around the world. After New York, the Boston office was the largest. Due to the size and the revenue volume, Boston...

Words: 2709 - Pages: 11