After spiking in May on dismay over Eurozone debt anxiety, the VIX has been trending generally downward, with any jumps being only short-lived. Another spike just occurred. The thing to watch now is if the VIX follows this recent pattern -- or not.
Negative equity is linked to higher foreclosures. About a quarter of households with mortgages already owe more than their homes are worth. If prices slip further, up to half of all homeowners may end up underwater -- a scary prospect for Americans' financial health.
The price of oil rose to a three month high on Tuesday due to the weak U.S. dollar, and bullish sentiment about growth in 2011.
Investors often seek insight from the latest news, the most recent weekly and monthly data updates. But the underlying status of the economy is better reflected in long-term trends, and many of those show serious headwinds to future U.S. growth.
It's getting harder to avoid the evidence pointing to more trouble ahead for housing. Essentially, there's a massive mismatch between rising supplies of homes for sale and dwindling demand from buyers. Not even high-end markets are immune.
With all the grim economic news out of Europe and China and the disappointing U.S. jobs report, a stock market rally may seem counterintuitive. But several technical signals suggest that the market is ready for a modest rally in the next few weeks.