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Is Wall Street Really the Heart of Capitalism?

Is Wall Street Really the Heart of Capitalism? Blaming the wrong people for 2008 SEPTEMBER 24, 2013 by DOUGLAS FRENCH The other night I tuned into The Flaw , a 2011 documentary about the 2008 financial crash. While telling the crash story, the movie flashes in and out of a street tour offered by an ex-mortgage bond trader. The young man has the required effervescence to keep a dozen tourists entertained while they look at nothing more interesting than office buildings. He cleverly lets members of his tour touch a toxic asset. Well, a page of the legal document of a collateralized debt obligation (CDO), anyway. The camera pans to tourists taking pictures next to “ Charging Bull ,” the 7,100 lb. bronze sculpture closely associated with Wall Street. The guide starts his tour saying what has become a worn out cliché. “Welcome to Wall Street; this is the heart of American capitalism.”     But is Wall Street really the heart of capitalism? If we understand capitalism as a so
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California's Future Home Buyers - Converting Renters into Buyers

1675 Surveys taken in California, stats gathered from 23% Northern Coastal California and 77% Southern California AVG BUYER DEMOGRAPHICS 25 to 34 yrs of age 63% Female/37% Men 4yr Degree+ avg 30% make 100k+ which is average 48% made 50k min AVERAGE RENTER DEMOGRAPHICS 54% Female/46% Male 42 yrs average age 58% Single/37% Married 30% Bachelor's Degree or higher 54% Caucasian 61% Single Moms (31% Single with Kids/30% No Kids) $30k Income Avg Have major Student Loan Debt 50% Have no Debt 26% Credit Card Debt 6% Own RE now/26% previously owned/68% have never owned Of Renters 2Bd/1.5Ba is average 51% live in Apts 27% SFR 15% Other Reasons to Rent 30% Reasonable Rate 22% Neighborhood 10% Amenities Least Important is Schools Avg Tenure 5+yrs 38% of Renters will pay $1,000 32% of Renters will pay $1500 Avg Rate Increase is 3% 52% Expect to Buy a Home of the 52%, 56% of said they would use a Realtor to buy a home of the 56%, 47% will look O
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2013 Fresno Housing Market Symposium - 10/4/13

2013 Fresno Housing Symposium |SYNOPSIS Gazarian Real Estate Center, CSUF, Fresno, CA /October 4, 2013 SERIES/topic Agenda topic Housing Market Conditions – Views from the Top Discussion/Conclusion: 1.        Jennifer Clark, Development & Resource Management Director – City of Fresno: a.        1945 – 2000 Fresno has had exponential growth b.       1970s to 1990s we had top growth in the Country c.        10 yr permit history – COF has largest # of vacancies – 10,000+ vacant, unoccupied & depresses city values d.       COF must use money to maintain e.        Permits pulled in Dec typically 1400 – 1500 housing start average; this year we’ve exceeded #s f.         Seeing return of the Move Up & 1 st Time Home Buyers g.       Expectations for greater demands for SF Housing, smaller neighborhoods, connectivity to schools, parks and multi-generational living needed for mixture of housing types h.       Challenges are with Long
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