Buying a home wouldn't make much sense if house prices were likely to decline further; no one wants to catch a falling knife.

The key to house prices is the share of foreclosure or short sales in the total housing market. When that share rises, house prices will fall, because distressed properties sell for significantly less - currently around 25 percent below non-distressed houses.

I'm a registered Democrat.

The Obama administration deserves credit for quickly ending the housing free fall. In particular, Obama empowered the Federal Housing Administration to ensure that households could find mortgages at low interest rates even during the worst phase of the financial panic.

I've done work for both Democrats and Republicans.

There is a banking adage that if it's growing like a weed, it's a good chance that it's a weed.

The principal linkages between Japan and the U.S. global economies are trade, financial markets, and commodity markets.