Word: low
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Then there is the financing issue. The federal government has done a lot to try to keep interest rates low - like buying up mortgaged-backed securities from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac - but loans over a certain size are often exempt. The rates on "jumbo" loans (generally those that run about $417,000) have historically been about .25 percentage points higher than on regular mortgages. That spread jumped all the way up to 180 basis points last fall, according to data-tracker HSH Associates - but has since settled down to about 100. Still, that's a big added expense. Plus...
...state should cut spending and keep taxes low. Does government spend to serve or serve to spend? On this question, too many legislators leave their answers blank...
...Pound’s resting place is barely a tombstone. His plot is lined with a low marble border, and a large laurel bush dominates the space inside. Underneath, partially covered by ivy strands, is a small, marble plaque bearing the simple demarcation: “Ezra Pound.” In equal distance on the other side of the plot lies the plaque commemorating Olga Rudge, Pound’s long-term lover and intellectual companion. Passersby would not find the spot unless they knew that it simply had to be there, according to the map that underlines...
...polls 1,215 large manufacturers as well as thousands of other businesses, indicated companies remain more pessimistic than optimistic and are still reluctant to make capital investments. According to Kanno, the results confirm "the upside momentum is getting stronger, but the level of the economic activities is still very low." Japan's unemployment rate rose for the fourth straight month to 5.2% in May, up from 5.0% in April. Job availability is at a record low, with only 44 jobs available per 100 job seekers. The last time unemployment reached 5.2% was in Sept...
...like a time warp to the war-ridden '80s. Indeed, as Honduras struggles with the first Central American coup in almost two decades, it hasn't moved on much since the bad old days of the Cold War. Pumped-up soldiers stand on every corner, backed by humvees and low-flying helicopters. In the heat of the afternoon, groups of young men gather on street corners burning tires and smashing windows before troops hit back with baton charges and tear gas. Then as darkness descends, everyone rushes to their homes to beat curfews that last through the night. (Read about...