"IT'S ALL GREEK TO ME." The markets continue to be focused on Greece...

The markets continue to be focused on - and influenced by - Greece's ongoing financial saga. Stocks took a hit last Thursday when Greece's budget deficit was reported to be worse than previously thought, causing uncertainty and anxiety in the markets. The next day, the saga continued

"NOTHING GOLD CAN STAY"...

...or so says Robert Frost's famous poem. But the whole market wonders if Goldman Sachs can "stay gold", following last week's shocker headline that the Securities and Exchange Commission is charging the financial giant with fraud. 

6 Money Skills Kids Should Master By Age 18

If the current economic climate has taught us anything, it's that financial education and responsibility are critical in today's fast-paced, wired world.

"THE FUTURE INFLUENCES THE PRESENT JUST AS MUCH AS THE PAST."

While getting your mind around that brain-bender from philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche might be a bit of labor...the point of influence is very well-taken. And while the present health of the housing market is certainly influenced by the present health of the labor market - last week brought a bit of welcome good news on the housing front. 

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU GOT UNTIL IT'S GONE - AND I FOUND OUT A LITTLE TOO LATE..."

The words from Chicago's hit song from the 80's sums up the market's sentiment on the ending of the Federal Reserve's Mortgage Backed Security buying program. And the resulting volatility for home loan rates that has already begun.

THEY SAY THAT MARCH COMES IN LIKE A LION AND GOES OUT LIKE A LAMB...

... But this year, the exact reverse is true when it comes to home loan rates - for quite a few reasons, including the end of the Federal Reserve acting as a large buyer of Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS). The "demand" created by their fifteen-month program has helped Bond prices stay high and home loan rates stay low. 

"I WILL ACT NOW. I WILL ACT NOW. I WILL ACT NOW. " Og Mandino.

And wondering what kind of action will happen on Healthcare reform was certainly on everyone's mind last week. But what does this mean for the markets and home loan rates?