Housing

Experts Respond to January Home Sales Report - DS News

Why Renters Rule U.S. Housing Market (Part 1) – Gary Shilling

The collapse in housing and the 33 percent plunge in house prices since 2006 are favoring renting over homeownership. This trend will dominate the housing market for the next four or five years, and put additional pressure on a weak economy.

Keeping the Poorest in Housing – NYT

Some in Congress support raising the minimum rent as an adjustment for inflation, but the resources of poor families generally have not increased.

Freddie follows Fannie with cautiously optimistic housing report – HousingWire

Mortgage fraud hits ‘eye-opening’ level in Canada – Vancouver Sun

Redfin Brings Transparency to Title, Inspection, Mortgage, Staging - Redfin

National Mortgage…Fiasco? – The Investigative Fund (hat-tip Yves Smith)

Economy & Europe

‘Why This Time Could Be Different’ With High Gasoline Prices – WSJ

Stop the Nonsense About the “Falling Dollar” Being the Cause of Rising Gasoline Prices - Mish

Gas prices spike – SF Gate

Californians now pay, on average, $4.04 for a gallon of regular, according to the AAA auto club. San Francisco’s average on Tuesday hit $4.08. In San Jose and Oakland, it was $4.03.

Never before has the statewide average hit $4 so early in the year.

Misc.

2 Journalists Are Among the Dead in Syrian Shelling – NYT

For Women Under 30, Most Births Occur Outside Marriage – NYT

By the mid-1990s, such figures looked quaint: a third of Americans were born outside marriage. Congress, largely blaming welfare, imposed tough restrictions. Now the figure is 41 percent — and 53 percent for children born to women under 30, according to Child Trends, which analyzed 2009 data from the National Center for Health Statistics.

Lin Files Own Request for ‘Linsanity’ Trademark – Bloomberg

Zillow Falls 6.1% After Stock Sales by Execs – Bloomberg

“Investors are seeing the headlines around insider sales and that’s causing some concern,” Chad Bartley, senior research analyst at Pacific Crest Securities Inc. in Portland, Oregon, said in a telephone interview. “The stock is expensive.”

Even on $15,000 a Year, Most Young People Buy Smartphones - Mashable