Two steps forward and one step back it seems in the country's housing market..but another important report is due out this week...Alexis Christoforous has more in your Money Watch report...ANOTHER WAVE OF HOME FORECLOSURES MAY BE LOOMING. EXPERTS SAY ABOUT 7 MILLION HOMES ARE DESTINED TO GO INTO FORECLOSURE IN THE NEXT TWO YEARS. THAT WOULD FLOOD AN ALREADY CROWDED REAL ESTATE MARKET AND POSSIBLY DERAIL ANY HOUSING RECOVERY.REALTORS ARE HOPING LOW MORTGAGE RATES AND THE EXTENSION OF A GOVERNMENT TAX CREDIT FOR HOMEBUYERS WILL HELP PROP UP THE MARKET.RATES ON A 30 YEAR MORTGAGE STAYED BELOW 5 PERCENT THIS WEEK. ACCORDING TO FREDDIE MAC, IT'S AT 4 POINT 83 PERCENT. LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME, THE RATE WAS JUST OVER 6 PERCENT.WE'LL FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE REAL ESTATE MARKET THIS WEEK WITH REPORTS ON SALES OF NEW AND EXISTING HOMES AND HOME PRICES.AND WE'LL FIND OUT IF SHOPPERS WILL BE MORE WILLING TO SPEND THIS HOLIDAY SEASON WITH FRESH FIGURES ON CONSUMER CONFIDENCE AS WELL AS PERSONAL INCOME AND SPENDING...ON WALL STREET, STOCKS SUFFERED THEIR BIGGEST SELLOFF IN THREE WEEKS AS INVESTORS WORRY ABOUT THE STRENGTH OF AN ECONOMIC RECOVERY.THE DOW SANK NEARLY 94 POINTS WHILE THE NASDAQ COMPOSITE GAVE BACK MORE THAN 36.THE HOLIDAYS MAY NOT BE SO SWEET THIS YEAR. NESTLE -- WHICH SELLS NEARLY ALL THE CANNED PUMPKIN IN THE U-S -- SAYS WET WEATHER HURT ITS HARVEST THIS YEAR. THAT'S CREATED A POTENTIAL SHORTAGE OF ITS LIBBY'S PUMPKIN PIE PRODUCTS.PIEMAKERS CAN STILL USE FRESH PUMPKINS OR OTHER BRANDS.FOR MORE MONEY HEADLINES, CLICK ON CBS MONEYWATCH DOT COM. IN NY, I'M ALEXIS CHRISTOFOROUS.










.jpg)

.jpg)










