first three months

The number of homeowners making late payments — or no payments — on their mortgages fell for the fifth straight quarter in the first three months of 2011.

But the figure remains stubbornly high compared with the pre-crisis norm, likely because of the huge backlog of homes waiting to be foreclosed.

Official figures show that the economy of the 17 countries that use the euro grew by a quarterly rate of 0.8 percent in the first three months of the year, with Greece unexpectedly posting strong growth.

The economy slowed sharply in the first three months of the year as high gas prices cut into consumer spending, new data show.

Homebuilder PulteGroup says its loss in the first three months of the year widened because it sold fewer homes, and the average price of the homes it sold dropped.

Here is a recap of the top news items from this week on Wall Street: 1. US stocks finished the first quarter up more than 6.5 percent, the sharpest gain during the first three months of the year since 1999.

The gains look even stronger when considering the issues markets have faced so far this year: building political tension across northern Africa and the Middle East (and the resulting rise in oil prices), and the worst earthquake ever recorded in Japan.

Further, fear of returning debt contagion in the European markets has roiled investor confidence recently, however, compared to the turmoil

Share + Comments Apr 15, 2010 1:14 pm US/Pacific LOS ANGELES A record number of U.S. homes were lost to foreclosure in the first three months of this year, a sign banks are starting to wade through the backlog of troubled home loans at a faster pace, according to a new report.

Venture capitalists invested more money in U.S. startups during the first three months of 2010 compared with a year earlier, a sign of increasing optimism that the economy is improving.

A record number of U.S. homes were lost to foreclosure in the first three months of this year.

RealtyTrac Inc. said Thursday.

A record number of U.S. homes were lost to foreclosure in the first three months of this year, a sign banks are starting to wade through the backlog of troubled home loans at a faster pace, according to a new report.

According to the often accurate Apple Insider the iPad has sold out.

It claims that consumers who want an Apple iPad on the day of launch, that's April the 3rd in the US at least, are out of luck unless they have already pre-ordered.

As of Saturday 27th March the iPad is sold out for delivery on the 3rd and the new expect your delivery date has been moved back to April 12th at the soonest.