Forecast for the Week 
A light economic report calendar is ahead for the first full week of January. But with the markets watching to see how Congress continues to handle key items like the debt ceiling and spending cuts, we could see some volatility.
- Weekly Initial Jobless Claims will be released as usual on Thursday. Now that the seasonal abnormalities are behind us, investors will be looking for the real numbers.
Remember: Weak economic news normally causes money to flow out of Stocks and into Bonds, helping Bonds and home loan rates improve, while strong economic news normally has the opposite result. The chart below shows Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS), which are the type of Bond that home loan rates are based on.
When you see these Bond prices moving higher, it means home loan rates are improving — and when they are moving lower, home loan rates are getting worse.
To go one step further — a red “candle” means that MBS worsened during the day, while a green “candle” means MBS improved during the day. Depending on how dramatic the changes were on any given day, this can cause rate changes throughout the day, as well as on the rate sheets we start with each morning.
As you can see in the chart below, Bonds and home loan rates worsened after the Fed minutes were released last week. I’ll be watching all the news closely to see what happens this week.
Brain Power Boosters for Busy People
Researchers at UCLA have long known about the benefits of meditation. But a further report by Eileen Luders, assistant professor at the UCLA Laboratory of Neuro Imaging, has revealed people who meditate frequently have larger amounts of gyrification–or folding of the cortex–which may allow them to process information faster than those who do not meditate.
Whether you’ve mediated before or not, taking a short mental break during the day is a great way to improve your productivity. Here are a few tips to try and to pass along to your clients, colleagues, friends and family members:
Commune While You Commute. Simply letting your mind relax twice each day, on the way to and from work is a great first step. While easier to do if you commute by public transit or carpool, it’s still possible if you drive your own car by leaving for work a bit earlier. Focus on something very calming and specific. Perhaps a waterfall, waves on a beach, flowers, or a tree swaying in the wind–it’s up to you–the point is letting your mind stay clear. If any other thoughts interrupt you, gently sweep them aside and continue to focus on your scene.
Pulse Power. K. Anders Ericsson, psychologist and researcher at the University of Florida, discovered that people were much more efficient working in clearly divided blocks or “pulses.” The optimal time limit being about 90 minutes, after which the mind needs a break. The simplest way to remind yourself to take a time out is to download a free break-timer application such as Scirocco (PC) or Time Out (Mac)–or just use the alarm feature on your smartphone.
Daydream Believer. It’s a fact that daydreamers score higher on creativity tests and come up with better ideas than those focused exclusively on work. Daydreaming is different than meditation in that you’re filling your mind rather than trying to empty it, but the trick is to focus on things other than work or problems. Taking a 20-minute lunchtime walk as you let your mind wander freely is a great way to refresh both mind and body with a bit of fresh air and exercise.
Economic Calendar for the Week of January 07 – January 11
|
Date
|
ET
|
Economic Report
|
For
|
Estimate
|
Actual
|
Prior
|
Impact
|
| Thu. January 10 |
08:30
|
Jobless Claims (Initial) |
1/05
|
365K
|
372K
|
Moderate
|
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Mortgage Info By Michelle Wickett 
I am really impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your blog.
Is this a paid theme or did you customize it yourself? Anyway keep up the excellent quality writing, it’s rare to see a nice blog like this one these days.