Region stands to gain from cut.

Byline: Maria M. Perotin

Nov. 1--The Metroplex's economy is faring better than communities nationwide, but North Texans still stand to see improvements from the Federal Reserve's interest-rate cut, two local economists said Wednesday.

The region is on sounder footing than others, in large part because of the diverse array of businesses and the prevalence of high-wage earners, said Brian Bruce, director of Southern Methodist University's finance institute.

"Our local economy is a little more robust than the economy in general. We have not had the huge price drops that some of the coastal markets have had in housing, for example," Bruce said. "There continues to be a lot of money being spent in this economy."

Still, the Fed's move should benefit some of the region's residents, such as homeowners who are antsy to refinance their adjustable-rate mortgages, he said.

"This'll give people a chance to flip over into fixed-rate mortgages," Bruce said.

Terry Clower, associate director of the Center for Economic Development at the University of North Texas, said Fort Worth-based D.R. Horton and other home builders may get some relief if the rate cut revives demand for new houses. And local companies that export products overseas should have an easier ...