Stocks moved between small gains and losses on Wednesday as President Obama outlined the administration's plan to aid the housing sector.
"All of us are paying a price for this home mortgage crisis. And all of us will pay an even steeper price if we allow this crisis to deepen—a crisis which is unraveling homeownership, the middle class, and the American Dream itself," Obama said.
The plan could allow up to 9 million homeowners to avoid foreclosure by committing up to $275 billion for housing. The roles of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be expanded to allow borrowers with homes worth less than their mortgage to re-finance at more favorable rates in order to bring their monthly payments to 31% of household income.
"By making these investments in foreclosure-prevention today, we will save ourselves the costs of foreclosure tomorrow--costs borne not just by families with troubled loans, but by their neighbors and communities and by our economy as a whole," Obama said.
In recent trade, the DOW was moving higher by 0.67% after declining by just over 1% earlier. The broader S&P 500 was ahead by 0.63% and the NASDAQ by 0.81%.
The dollar was mixed but mostly higher on the day, with a 0.27% gain on the euro, a 1.59% move on the yen and a 0.06% gain on the pound. Australia's dollar was 0.65% up on the greenback.
Crude was declining again today and was recently down 15 cents (-0.52%) to $34.73 per barrel.
Gold was recently gaining %5.50 (0.57%) to $971.60 per ounce.