Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell is under increasing pressure this week from both Democrats, who hope to continue the economic boom by cutting interest rates in a year of presidential and congressional elections, and Republicans, who want to withdraw plans to tighten capital requirements for banks. Looks like I’ll have to face it. Chairman Powell … Read more
U.S. mortgage rates rose for the fourth straight week to their highest level in two months, dealing a major blow to housing affordability. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased and averaged 6.94% as of Feb. 29, according to data released by Freddie Mac FMCC,+0,92%THURSDAY. This is an increase of 4 basis points from the previous week … Read more
The revised U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) for October-December 2023 (fourth quarter) has been revised slightly downward from the preliminary figure. This reflects the downward revision of inventory. On the other hand, personal consumption and capital investment were revised upward. Key Point The revised U.S. real gross domestic product (GDP) increased by 3.2% annually … Read more
Commodity Investment Advisors (CTAs) have recently been positioned as “maximum short” from a tactical standpoint, but futures data suggests an unwinding may be underway. This leaves U.S. Treasuries exposed to short-term upside risk from short covering. Hedge funds, CTAs and other leveraged funds are unwinding net short positions across Treasury futures at an aggressive pace, … Read more
The U.S. Financial Authority’s interest rate policy is often described as raising interest rates as an escalator and lowering them as an elevator. However, in this case, the opposite is true, and investors expecting a rapid rate cut may be dissatisfied. Aiming to curb rising inflation, the monetary authorities, led by Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome … Read more
My husband and I can’t decide between selling our house or renting it. We live in Northern California, in an area we don’t like. The house is cute, we have a 2.5% interest rate, and we have $262,000 left on our mortgage. The Redfin estimate for our house is currently $550,000. We took in a … Read more
Investors and companies are becoming increasingly wary of the war in the Middle East, which poses a major risk to corporate performance. Sales have fallen due to widespread boycotts in Islamic countries, and attacks on cargo ships in the Red Sea have threatened supply chains. Those headwinds pose a risk to the record rally in … Read more
In the US stock market on the 9th, the S&P 500 stock index rose for the fourth day in a row and exceeded the 5,000 mark for the first time at closing price. Expectations for interest rate cuts and solid corporate performance are pushing up stock prices. Stock closing price change rate from previous business … Read more
Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said on CBS News’ “60 Minutes” broadcast on the evening of the 4th (the morning of the 5th Japan time) that the monetary authority is likely to wait until after March before cutting interest rates. He said it was big. It explains to ordinary Americans the rationale for future interest … Read more
The US labor productivity index grew faster than market expectations in the fourth quarter of last year. Productivity continued to improve throughout 2023, contributing to boosting economic growth as inflation slowed. Key Point The non-agricultural sector labor productivity index (preliminary figures) increased by 3.2% annually compared to the previous quarter. The median economist forecast is … Read more