Three concurrent factoids from Dealbreaker

Is it a coincidence that all three of these news items were grouped together in the Opening Bell?

Toll's Net Drops on Land Writedowns, Falling Orders (Bloomberg)Luxury home builder Toll Brothers turned in another rough quarter, as earnings dropped by 67% due to falling sales and major writedowns of assets. The good news is that we've finally seen the bottom of the housing market. No really, this has to be it. Really, this has to be the floor. Turnaround city, here we come.
Global Economy Shrugs Off Oil, Housing Strains (WSJ)Look around you, things are going pretty good. At least from an economic point of view, the big threats of housing collapses and and oil-induced recessions aren't playing out. Even Japan, home of little growth and the 0% interest rate is feeling confident enough to raise its to a growth-halting .5%. Ok, maybe that's not too much. But for a country that doesn't need to be told to stash its money away, the fact that it's interest rate is that high is saying something. Of course, there are worries, that investors are ignoring the dark side, assuming that everything from internet stocks to Ecuadorian bonds are going to pay off. But for now, everything's quiet, if not too quiet.

Dollar Strengthens as Fed Speakers May Signal Inflation Risks (Bloomberg)Inflation isn't typically seen as a positive force for a currency. But in the sometimes seemingly backwards world of currency traders it can be. That's because in an environment where inflation remains a concern, we won't see any more interest rate cuts. In fact, we may even see a hike or a tightening, if you will. Of course, the stock market tends to behave just as silly. How many times have the markets rallied on bad economics news because it means the fed might slash rates?

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