Home sales in Houston surge ahead - 2004-03-16
Low interest rates kept used-home sales active rid in the Houston area in February.

Low mortgage rates have made the housing market one of the economy's few hot spots in recent years.So far this year, mortgage rates have remained low.

Last week, mortgage giant Freddie Mac reported that rates on benchmark 30-year mortgages dropped to their lowest level since last July.
Read the full story at Houston Chronicle

U.S. job market might improve in 2nd qtr - 2004-03-16
U.S. employers are more confident of hiring people and less intend to lay off staff in the second quarter of this year than in the current quarter.

Hiring intentions were the highest in the construction sector with 42 percent of companies planning to add staff versus just 4 percent intending to reduce their work forces. The housing sector has witnessed the biggest boom since the end of the World War Two thanks largely to low mortgage rates.
Read the full story at Forbes