Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Strategies & Market Trends : The Epic American Credit and Bond Bubble Laboratory -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: benwood who wrote (19190)	9/29/2004 7:42:45 PM
From: russwinter	Respond to of 110194

I agree (although they don't have to take a rate hike, just refi at same or slightly lower) underwriting standards are so lax, and appraisals so abused, that I think much of the ARMs activity, HELOCs and a good percentage of the fixed rate activity is just to get more "equity" (a polite marketing euphemism for more debt) out to consolidate old debt and have more to spend on XMAS, purchasing rapidly inflating subsistence items like energy and food, medical, and a bunch of other items that are price inflating (like Starbucks coffee). biz.yahoo.com And why not throw a trip or hotel room () in while they're at it. It's one of my favorite terms still at work F3IP (Fed's Fully Funded Inflation Program). I sure don't think the consumer is surging and I do think the situation is terminal, but he is paddling hard (and irrationally) to maintain his standard of living, and 2200 refi indexes help him stay in the game, at least for now. () U.S. hotel room revenue up 11 pct in week Wed Sep 29, 2004 07:25 PM ET LOS ANGELES, Sept 29 (Reuters) - U.S. hotels posted an 11 percent rise in room revenue for the week to Sept. 25 with strong gains in occupancy and room pricing in the recovering industry, Smith Travel Research reported on Wednesday. Occupancy rose 6.2 percent to 67.3 percent of rooms and hotel room rates rose 4.6 percent to $86.66, taking revenue per available room, a combination of rate and occupancy which is a benchmark of lodging industry health, up 11.0 percent to $58.28. "Urban markets have been especially strong on the rate side," Fulcrum Global Partners analyst Joe Greff wrote in research note, adding that the news was good for operators Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc.(HOT.N: Quote, Profile, Research) and Hilton Hotels Corp.(HLT.N: Quote, Profile, Research)