Decline in housing starts goes on - 2004-03-16
The number of housing projects started by builders dropped for the second straight month in February as bad weather in some parts of the country forced construction delays.

Home sales reached record high levels in 2003, powered by low mortgage rates. Economists believe 2004 also will turn out to be a good year for home sales.
Read the full story at Denver Post

Smacking Mortgage Giant Fannie Mae - 2004-03-16
It's not every day that a treasury secretary purposely tries to shake the massive bond market. The treasury secretary told a gathering of bankers that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two government-sponsored enterprises that dominate the nation's mortgage markets, were not "too big to fail."

Fannie and Freddie enjoy congressional charters, exemptions from state and local taxes, and access to Treasury credit lines, but they are otherwise regular companies.
Read the full story at Slate Magazine