No, don't expect to see windmills and solar panels -- consumers are leaning toward a different kind of green this holiday season: cash. Rather than hit their credit cards, shoppers will only be spending money they have (and can see and touch). Seventy-one percent of consumers are looking to cash and debit cards as their primary form of payment for holiday shopping this year, which the National Retail Foundation pegs as the highest level since 2005.

This could be a problem for the retailers.

Sure, you'd think that the merchant fees on credit cards make cash more attractive to the sellers. But, Ellen Davis, a spokesperson for the NRF, says that most retailers have found they can talk credit card buyers into up-sells more easily. That leads to a bigger basket size and more revenue. Done successfully, it should comfortably absorb the impact of merchant fees. James Roberts, a marketing professor at Baylor University, adds that using plastic makes consumers more likely to buy at all, let alone more.

Continue reading Shoppers going green for Christmas

Shoppers going green for Christmas originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Monday, the Dow Jones Industrial Average set a new 2009 high, trading above 10,225. GDP growth came in at 3.5% for the third quarter.

However, what we are experiencing is a disconnect between Wall Street and Main Street. Last Friday, the Labor Department reported that unemployment is now above 10%. Consumer spending for September fell .5%, the biggest drop since December 2008.

Continue reading Is the recession still alive?

Is the recession still alive? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Let's look at specific towns and cities with the highest price declines and the highest price increases:

• Fort Myers, Florida tops the list with a 40% decline. Median home prices were $98,000.00
• Las Vegas, Nevada saw a 35% decline. Median home prices were $138,500.00
• On the up side, Cumberland Maryland saw a price increase of 19% Median home prices rose to $122,100.00
• Davenport, Iowa was next with a 14% increase. Median home prices were $115,600.00.

Continue reading Nationwide home prices fall in 123 of 153 metro areas

Nationwide home prices fall in 123 of 153 metro areas originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Why are stocks surging to new 2009 highs?

Why are stocks surging to new 2009 highs? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading A new and improved home buyers tax credit?

A new and improved home buyers tax credit? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sotheby's (NYSE: BID) had a great night this week, tripling the performance of competitor Christie's (OTC: CRUPF). But, it didn't come soon enough to help the company's third quarter results.

The auction house suffered from the art market slump that was exacerbated by the global financial crisis, posting a net loss of $57.8 million (89 cents a share). This is worse than the $47 million loss (73 cents a share) it delivered a year earlier. Three analysts that Bloomberg surveyed expected a loss of 29 cents a share. Revenue was off 41% to $44.9 million for the quarter.

Continue reading BIDding down for Sotheby's, but high hopes for Q4

BIDding down for Sotheby's, but high hopes for Q4 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 12:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Fannie Mae (NYSE: FNM) has initiated a new Deed to Lease program in which homeowners facing foreclosure will be able to stay in their homes as renters.

During the first half of the year, Fannie Mae has acquired 57,000 homes through foreclosure. These are owners who do not qualify for mortgage restructuring. They must demonstrate that they could not pay their mortgage but can pay rent. The rents paid are lower than their previous mortgage payment.

Continue reading Fannie Mae will rent to owners in foreclosure

Fannie Mae will rent to owners in foreclosure originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

After haggling since September the US Senate finally passed an extension for unemployed persons and extended the credit for first time home buyers.

The situation for unemployed persons is dire. Here are just a few facts about their current situation:

• We have 15 million unemployed vying for just three million available jobs.
• 200,000 persons lost their benefits since September
• 7000 persons a day are losing their benefits.
• More than 1/3 of the unemployed have been out or work for at least six months.

Continue reading US Senate extends jobless benefits and first time home buyer credit

US Senate extends jobless benefits and first time home buyer credit originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The National Bankruptcy Research Center reported that there were 135,914 bankruptcies in October, up 9%. One third of the bankruptcies were filed under Chapter 13. Chapter 13 requires that the court set up a five year repayment plan for debts owed.

In addition business bankruptcies were up 7% for the same period.The forecast is for 1.4 million bankruptcies in 2009, the highest since 2005. In that year Congress revamped the bankruptcy laws to make it more difficult to wipe out all of a person's debts. There was a rush of filings in the months just before the new law was enacted.

Continue reading Personal bankruptcies skyrocket 9% in October

Personal bankruptcies skyrocket 9% in October originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

What is COBRA? COBRA is a federal program that allows you to continue your health insurance after you leave a company. If you choose this option, you must pay your share and the company's share of your health insurance. For singles it averages about $400.00 and for families it averages $1050.00

Continue reading COBRA subsidy for unemployed set to expire

COBRA subsidy for unemployed set to expire originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sorry to say that the jobs report for October is bleak. According to ADP National Employment, 203,000 jobs were lost.

Since the recession started, U.S. job losses have risen from 7.6 million to 15 million.

Here are the numbers by sectors:

Continue reading U.S. loses 203,000 jobs in October

U.S. loses 203,000 jobs in October originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We have a human disaster of enormous proportions. We have 15 million persons unemployed. Thousands are on the brink of losing their homes. As of this December, 1.7 million unemployed will exhaust their benefits. They may be homeless at this holiday time. Some 400,000 persons exhausted their benefits in the month of October.

Now, as reported in BusinessWeek, one lone economist, Katerina Alexandraki, is asking Wall Streeters to give their bonuses to the homeless and unemployed. She has set up a website, Bonus for Homes, and started a campaign to distribute the monies to low-income earners and the unemployed.

Continue reading Will the Scrooge bankers give their bonuses to the needy Bob Cratchits?

Will the Scrooge bankers give their bonuses to the needy Bob Cratchits? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 01 Nov 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wall Street is getting back to normal. How do we know that? One gauge: measuring Wall Street's health is the amount of bonuses bank employees receive.

Here are just a few numbers that reflect how Wall Street is doing:

• Goldman Sachs Group (NYSE GS) set aside $16.7 billion dollars for compensation in 2009, just a few dollars short of the record $16.9 billion set in 2007.
• Each employee at Goldman averages $527,192.00

Continue reading Are bank bonuses excessive?

Are bank bonuses excessive? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Some of the jobs that have disappeared through this recession are gone forever, it seems. Even when the market turns, and even gains momentum, we could be stuck with a fairly weak employment market for a while. The recovery will take longer than we'd like, putting more distance between now and the top of the next market run. We've lost 7.2 million jobs since December 2007, and the predictions of some economists that we'll get them back by 2014 may actually seem optimistic.

Why is the recovery going to be such a grind? Check out the four major reasons after the jump.

Continue reading Four reasons we're stuck with high unemployment for a while

Four reasons we're stuck with high unemployment for a while originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 20 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

KaChing! KaChing!

It only makes sense to call a company a sound you like to hear. This is exactly what CEO and co-founder Andy Rachleff must have had in mind. His new company -- kaChing, of course -- is backed by Marc Andreesen (a name often associated with that sound) and Jeff Jordan, the CEO of OpenTable (NASDAQ: OPEN), two guys who usually do a solid job of backing winners. But, they've taken on a challenge by backing a company in the financial services industry.

Continue reading KaChing hopes to be the sound of success

KaChing hopes to be the sound of success originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 19 Oct 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The recession is only over if you ask the right people. While some sectors are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, consumers remain concerned. It may be tempting to listen to the experts over the average Joe, but the former don't control 70% of the U.S. economy. So, as long as people are worried abou unemployment (which continues to rise), the levels of debt they carry and whether they're at risk of foreclosure, the recession will live on in the hearts of those who write checks and swipe credit cards.

Continue reading Consumer sentiment drops: savings and debt repayment are culprits

Consumer sentiment drops: savings and debt repayment are culprits originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Family offices are quite active in the hedge fund space, according to Preqin, with the average family office in North America allocating 14% of its assets to this class.

Continue reading Six facts about hedge funds and family offices in North America

Six facts about hedge funds and family offices in North America originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Core CPI also rose .2% The core index excludes food and energy.

There were price increases in used cars and trucks, apparel and medical care. Energy prices climbed .8% in September.

Continue reading Consumer prices rise in September

Consumer prices rise in September originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Good news! President Obama is calling for a $250 payment to seniors.

This news comes on the eve of an announcement by the Social Security Administration stating that there will be no "cost of living" this year. By law, increases in Social Security payments are tied to the cost of living, or COLA. Since there is no inflation this year, there will be no increase in Social Security benefits. This would be the first year since 1975 with no increase.

Continue reading Good news! President Obama wants a $250 payment to seniors

Good news! President Obama wants a $250 payment to seniors originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Spurred on by strong earnings from JP Morgan Chase & Company and Intel, the Dow punched through the 10,000 mark today.

The Dow 10,000 is a psychological level. Very often traders pay attention to round numbers like 10,000. Breaking through often kicks off buy stops and that is an added push to the move. Traders also see strong earnings by two giant companies as a positive for the market and often follow along with the momentum.

Recapping, the market was last at 10,000 back in October when it broke that mark on the downside. The index is down 29.4% from its 2007 peak of 14,164.53.

Do you believe that the market will continue to move higher?

It's official: Dow hits 10,000 mark originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.