Mortgage Backed Securities

My 'Hopium/Doomium' model has stood the test of time.

Sophisticated income investors can participate in this high-yield market via mREITs, preferreds and funds.

New home sales in the U.S. totaled 607,000 in January, down from 652,000 in December, the Census Bureau reports. The drop was steeper than projected by economists, who had estimated January sales at 620,000.

Loans to companies with low credit ratings swelled by 15% last year to $1.3 trillion, prompting warnings from the Federal Reserve and International Monetary Fund. Yet Wall Street firms that are deeply immersed in the market, from banks including JPMorgan Chase to private-equity firms like Blackstone, say they don't see what the problem is.

A government report shows that the economy added 312,000 jobs in December, well above economists' average projection of 180,000.

Subprime loans give those with financial struggles a chance to buy a house or car, but they can have drastic consequences - both for the borrower and the world economy.

The subprime mortgage crisis occurred when the real estate market collapsed and homeowners defaulted on their loans. How did the market get to that point?

Stock market crashes happen on a fairly regular basis. That said, so do major market recoveries.

The U.S. economy added 103,000 jobs in March, below expectations, as analysts said the tighter labor market may be making skilled workers harder to come by.

The U.S. economy probably added 185,000 jobs in March while wage gains accelerated, a survey of economists showed, reinforcing the Federal Reserve's case for continuing to increase interest rates gradually to keep inflation from overheating while keeping unemployment low.