PODCAST: GOP courts Latinos, Unilever unveils a new strategy

Here are our major stories for the day.

The latest news on the housing market comes today from the S&P/Case Shiller index. U.S. home prices rose more than expected in June. It’s the fifth month in a row home prices have increased, and forecasters expect them to keep rising.

The Conference Board says consumer confidence unexpectedly fell in the first part of August. It is now at the lowest level since November 2011. Concerns about jobs seem to be the main culprit. Later this week we’ll get a reading on consumer sentiment.

Consumer confidence and consumer sentiment are both kind of a fancy way of saying, “How do you feel about the economy?“

You might not immediately recognize the name of the European company Unilever. Here in the U.S., it owns brands like Hellman’s, Lipton, Vaseline and Dove. Unilever is even more dominant in Europe.

And Unilever’s top European official said poverty has come back to southern Europe, and the company will approach consumers there using techniques from developing countries.

Forecasters say Tropical Storm Isaac is on the verge of becoming a hurricane. We look at the storm’s effects on business and especially the oil and gas industry.

Marketplace’s Paddy Hirsch helps explain everything from Collateralized Debt Obligations to Eurobonds, and he’s written a new book.

After a one day delay because of Isaac, the Republican National Convention is expected to kick off today in Tampa. And one key focus for the GOP will be Latino voters.