Aug042008
Guess who holds your mortgage now? It’s your friendly neighborhood hedge fund.
Dozens of hedge funds, private equity groups and other investors have plunged into the beaten-down mortgage market in recent months, buying tens of thousands of distressed loans and foreclosed properties around the country. They hope to profit from the woes of banks and other investors holding mortgages that have plummeted in value as home values sink and defaults soar. Continue Reading »
Jul232008
The rise in US mortgage rates has prompted a sharp decline in the number of refinancings according to data released yesterday by the Mortgage Bankers Association.
High rates come at a time when homeowners are struggling to refinance mortgages because home values have fallen and banks have tightened their lending standards. According to RBS Greenwich Capital, just 3 per cent of the mortgage universe currently qualifies for refinancing. Two months ago that figure was 35 per cent. Continue Reading »
Jul172008
A recent report from Integrated Media Measurement, Inc. (IMMI), based on data from 3000 panelists in six major markets, finds that though multi-platform advertising increases reach over individual platform advertising, the effect is not simply additive.
Showing that advertising on more than one platform offers demonstrable benefits, some of the study highlights include:
- Six TV shows ran significant TV and radio campaigns before their new season premieres. For each of these shows, the rates of panelists that watch the program being promoted (conversion) are consistently higher among the segment exposed to a combination of platforms than among those exposed to one platform alone
- Quantifying the impact of advertising on cable television, Internet, in-cinema, and Tivo Showcases, exposure across more than one platform increases effectiveness
- For five movie releases, employing significantly large multi-platform advertising with enough exposure to quantify the effects of campaigns, the conversion for multi-platform was higher than conversion for a single platform…in some cases much higher
- The study found that the effects of increased frequency, recency and targeting did not account for the increased effectiveness of multi-platform advertising Continue Reading »
Jul102008
19% of Americans Collectively Own $22 Trillion in Assets
Based on an analysis by Nielsen’s Claritas Services by Jane Crossan and Mike Mancini, a new segment of wealthy Americans has emerged In recent years that represents 19 percent of all U.S. households. Known as the New Mass Affluent, this new crop of wealthy Americans were born of the post-war boom, raised in middle-class suburbs and benefited from college educations and years of economic prosperity during the bull market of the 1990s. Today they’re the empty-nesters converting their kids’ old rooms to home gyms, the well-heeled shopping at Costco and the workaholics fiddling with their BlackBerry on the express commuter train.
Continue Reading »
Jun302008
Coffee and the Web for C-Level Execs in the Morning
According to an online study from Forbes.com and Gartner, the Internet continues to be the most influential and important source of business information for C-Level executives around the world, at 67%. This number has increased 37% since 2004. At the same time, C-Level executives, citing newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal as their main source of business information, has decreased 36% since 2004
Before starting the work day, says the report, C-Level executives prefer to access the Web rather than read the newspaper. The number of C-Level executives who prefer the Internet first thing in the morning has increased 22% since 2004, while those who prefer to read the newspaper first thing in the morning has declined 11% over the same time period. Continue Reading »
Jun162008
An article in Advertising Age presents an interesting new niche market.
Photo Credit: David McNew
NEW YORK (AdAge.com) — When California opens its doors to same-sex nuptials this week, it will be a boon for its economy and savvy marketers. The wedding industry pumps billions into the coffers of retailers, hotels, florists, bands and caterers each year, with the average price of wedded bliss now tallying $28,704, according to the Wedding Report.
A study conducted by the Williams Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles projects that the Golden State will see $683.6 million in direct spending over the next three years, thanks to California couples and out-of-state couples flocking there to seek same-sex marriages. During that same period, the study projects 2,178 jobs will be created in the state to service the industry. Continue Reading »
Jun122008
Although a new Harris Interactive study reveals that over one-third of consumers say the dire economy will not affect their spending habits, the 60 percent of consumers who will limit their discretionary spending will curtail going out to restaurants (74 percent) and limit their purchase of electronics (71 percent). 41 percent of consumers, however, have no plans to stop or cut-back on the purchase of cell phones, making it an increasingly viable advertising channel.
To many, it seems the use of mobile phones has become an indispensable part of their lives. People are actually severing ties to land lines with increasing frequency. According to a new study from the National Center for Health Statistics, notes the report, 16 percent of U.S. homes are using wireless phones exclusively. Continue Reading »
Jun112008
A new article published by Retail Traffic says, among other things, that middle income consumers have begun to stop dabbling in the luxury sector due to the current economic climate. This, combined with price surges in gasoline and food will have a somewhat negative impact on REITs specializing in commercial properties. While not to the extent of what has been happening in the residential market, many retail REIT executives said retailers were worried about sluggish consumer spending and continued to scale back store openings. Few, however, have asked for outright rent relief.
Overall, the market environment seems to be more stable than everyone feared, leading to predictions that the industry will weather a long, but mild recession.
The entire article, can be found here at RetailTrafficMag.com
Jun092008
A new report issued by The Media Audit reveals that 43.8 million U.S. adults have read an alternative newspaper or visited an alternative newspaper’s website in the past 30 days. The study, which compared past four issue readership among 117 papers across 88 U.S. Markets, reveals an average readership of 374,296 adults in 2007 compared to 362,938 in the previous year, a 3% increase. Further, the average number of unique monthly website visitors among the 117 papers is 113,469 adults in 2007 compared to 106,139 in 2006, a nearly 7% increase. Continue Reading »
Jun052008
Considering how Online Americans are using different communication media for different lifestyle decisions and purchases, the Pew Internet & American Life Project Survey tells us that these Online Americans are also using different search and purchase strategies for different goods.
The study points out that the internet helps music buyers connect with artists and learn more about music, but it doesn’t strongly influence what or how they buy. It says that the internet is an influential source of information and options for those purchasing feature-rich items such as cell phones. The study shows that the internet is an efficiency-enhancer in searching for new housing.
The report says that the internet is a valuable research tool for online shoppers and at times provides information that is critically important in purchase decisions. Yet, more often than not, purchases are consummated offline and post-purchase online commentary is only a small part of a typical shopper’s activities. Continue Reading »
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