Pig-in-a-python economics

Commentary: Housing market damage deepens

Inman News

Flick photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/gloriapayne/2913733628/" target=blank>♥ Morning Glory ♥</a>.Flick photo by ♥ Morning Glory ♥.

Long-term rates rose again this week, the 10-year Treasury note and mortgages continuing the spurt that began last Friday, to 3.46 percent and just shy of 5.25 percent, respectively.

As always, economic optimism was the cause. In legitimate good news, retail sales rose in September, only 0.5 percent net of "Cash for Clunker" effects, but beat the forecast decline and have been stable for three months.

Also, new claims for unemployment insurance have continued their glide-path decline, now about 150,000 weekly below the April peak at 668,000, but still 200,000 weekly above anything resembling health.

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