Some banks suspending Hawaii foreclosures for the time being because overwhelmed bank officials have been signing off on foreclosures without ever reading the paperwork!

I’m always skimming financial news because it affects jobs, portfolios, consumer confidence and real estate prices…in other words, everyone and everything. Some recent news items caught my eye. The Dow closed over 11,000 the other day for the first time in 5 months. It has been a full 3 years since it’s high of just over 14,000 and at this point it is still 25% below that level. Markets have historically provided some of the best returns in November and December on average. As a result of the election, this year may turn out more political balance in Washington, which in turn produces the “gridlock” that markets tend to favor (less uncertainty). Since 1950, fourth quarter gains in the market average about 8% in mid term election years. (more…)