Are US stocks forming a bubble? The answer depends on who you ask. For Marko Kolanovic, chief market strategist at JPMorgan Chase & Co., the dramatic rise in U.S. stocks and Bitcoin’s rise above $60,000 are signals that the answer is yes. Kolanovic said the rise suggests a buildup of floss in the market, a … Read more
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
The Most Affordable Cities For Renters: Surprise, Sunnyvale, and more According to a recent study conducted by RentCafe, certain U.S. cities provide the best bang for the buck when it comes to affordable living for renters. The study analyzed median incomes of renters and average rental costs across 189 cities to determine the most affordable … Read more
Demand for Goods Eases as Prices Take a Dip American consumers witnessed a surge in demand for goods during the Covid-19 pandemic, yet escalating prices threatened their purchasing power. Global supply chains struggled to keep up, exacerbating the issue further. However, the tide seems to be turning now as goods inflation eases, providing relief to … Read more