VIX Spikes To 1 Month Highs | Zero Hedge
VIX Spikes To 1 Month Highs | Zero Hedge:
The VIX, also known as the Fear Index, measures investors’ expectations of volatility in the market. Surges (such as this one) tend to indicate intense fear in the markets, concern that investments are not stable and that the market may be about to undergo a significant downturn. As stated below, this is almost certain to be paired with investors moving into more reliable instruments, such as government bonds and precious metals.
VIX has surged this morning above 16% – its highest in almost a month. This shift is well beyond the equity move for now as investors seek protection for their stocks and shift into bonds and gold (with the latter at 2014 highs).
Student Loans Entice Borrowers More for Cash Than a Degree
Student Loans Entice Borrowers More for Cash Than a Degree:
Some Americans caught in the weak job market are lining up for federal student aid, not for education that boosts their employment prospects but for the chance to take out low-cost loans, sometimes with little intention of getting a degree. Ray Selent of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., who is taking courses for a degree in theater, says student loans allow him to cover any needs that arise.
Taking out more student loans to cover expenses and keep back the collectors on other student loans is pretty foolish. The fact that people are doing so because they’re too much of a credit risk to get a normal loan is both familiar and terrifying.
U.S. Pending Home Sales Essentially Unchanged In January
U.S. Pending Home Sales Essentially Unchanged In January :
NAR said its pending home sales index inched up 0.1 percent to 95.0 in January after falling 5.8 percent to a revised 94.9 in December. Economists had been expecting pending sales to show a st…
UK House prices rise to four-year high, insurers deny an inflating bubble.
UK House prices rise to four-year high, insurers deny an inflating bubble.: Financial contagion anybody?