California Home Loan 360

Americans feel lousy about things -- the worst they've felt since Jimmy Carter was president, a new consumer confidence survey shows.

With consumer confidence low and rates high for the types of mortgages Bay Area buyers typically use, fewer homes in the region sold last month than during any December in the past 20 years, according to DataQuick Information Systems.

Investors trade conservatively as they await a Fed decision today on interest rates. The Dow drops 77 points. Stock prices pulled back Tuesday as investors, uneasy about a drop in consumer confidence, traded cautiously before an impending decision on interest rates by the Federal Reserve.