With the news that Ben Bernanke may not seek a third term as Chairman of the Federal Reserve, investors are wondering how his departure will affect the markets. This week we feature an article about how Wall Street views his possible departure in January 2014. We then look into the new rules that may make it more difficult for borrowers to qualify for home loans beginning in 2013. There is good news on the energy front, as the US is poised to become the world’s top oil producer. We link to a positive discussion of the impact this may have on our economy and our relationships with countries in the Middle East. Our final article explains how you can maximize the benefits of a health savings account.
Investors Brace For A World Without Bernanke At The Fed – Ben Bernanke’s second term as Federal Reserve Chairman expires in January 2014 and the New York Times recently reported that Bernanke is unlikely to seek reappointment to a third term. This article discusses the positive impact Bernanke’s policies have had on the stock market and what may happen if he leaves. http://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/rick-newman/2012/10/23/why-wall-street-doesnt-want-ben-bernanke-to-leave
Home Loans May Become More Difficult To Get – Mortgage bankers and realtors are warning that it may become harder for borrowers to qualify for home loans early next year as the industry faces several new rules. This article discusses those rules and the possible impact. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-23/mortgage-lenders-seeing-perfect-storm-of-rules-on-the-horizon.html
U.S. May Soon Become World’s Top Oil Producer – U.S. oil output is surging so fast that the United States could soon overtake Saudi Arabia as the world’s biggest producer. Here is further discussion of how this may affect the U.S. economy and also our relations with countries in the Middle East. http://apnews.excite.com/article/20121023/DA23DCJ82.html
Maximizing The Benefits Of Health Savings Accounts – More than 13 million people have coverage from high deductible health plans this year and the trend is expected to continue. This article discusses the benefits of these accounts. We help our clients assess the usefulness of these accounts for their individual situation. http://news.morningstar.com/articlenet/article.aspx?id=570460
We hope you enjoy reading these articles along with us and that you find them informative. Please forward this to your friends and family.
John R. Day and Bill W. Ennis