Word: downward
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...almost daily. When investors eventually return to reasoned trading, some observers think, the wider picture won't be as dark as many people expect. Touati notes, for example, the rescue plans, rate cuts, drop in oil prices, and fall of the euro are all positive developments for businesses. The downward pressure on stock prices across the board, meanwhile, suggests speculative markets are already factoring in anticipated declines in company results as the economy slow down. In other words, Touati says, a lot of the pain now being felt prepares the gain of an eventual rebound...
...going to win this war," rues Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith, Britain's top commander in Afghanistan. The current strategy is "doomed to fail," says the British ambassador Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles. The latest U.S. National Intelligence Estimate notes that the country is in a "downward spiral." Since May, some 180 coalition troops have died in Afghanistan, compared with 120 in Iraq. On Oct. 14, four more NATO soldiers were killed by a roadside bomb...
...admirable, the goal of reaching universal proficiency in less than a generation is patently absurd—especially when many states began with less than 15 percent proficiency rates. Rather than penalize schools now for the legislation’s lack of foresight, Congress should have revised expectations downward when the act came up for renewal in 2007. The reason that this year has seen so many schools fail to meet federal standards is that state requirements were very poorly structured under NCLB. About half of the states had anticipated a huge struggle in immediately meeting federally mandated standards...
...Rising mortgage rates could also put downward pressure on housing prices, which have already dropped 20% since their peak in July of 2006, according to the S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price index. The increase in mortgage rates means that the average borrower will pay $1,296 a month in mortgage payment for a $200,000 loan. That's $100 more a month, and $1,200 more a year, than the same loan would have cost them a few weeks ago. For buyers on a budget, that means they can afford less house for the same amount of money. Conversely, sellers would...
...Housing Starts: Also on Friday, the U.S. Census Bureau releases housing starts, a figure that measures the number of privately-owned new residential homes being built. Analysts predict figures will either level off or continue to drift downward slightly from the August number of 895,000. The upside: "There isn't a lot of room for decline," says Englund. Many experts believe the bottom is near. LaVorgna says it is just a matter of time before the number drops below 800,000, a large plummet from the 2005 high of more than 2 million new homes under construction...