The Texas housing market enjoyed a remarkable upswing in the middle of this decade. ; Home sales and building accelerated in 2004 as the state's economic engine revved up, generating strong population and employment growth. Historically low interest rates attracted new homebuyers, while the rise...

U.S. financial woes are taking a toll on commercial real estate> investment in Texas. Uncertainty is prevalent among buyers and> sellers of office, industrial, retail and apartment properties,> and property sales are likely to remain subdued in the near term.

The Texas cities along the Mexican border have sustained relatively strong job growth in recent years. A key factor has been a booming health care industry, driven by rising population and the large share of the population covered by government-sponsored health insurance.

The growth in the number and in the size of remittances and the stability of these monetary transfers have made them a prime target for policymakers. Because remittance flows go directly to households in emigrants' home countries, one has to wonder about their effects on household...