What’s a Debt Ceiling? New Homes Sell, Too Many MBS for Sale
Debt Ceiling Explained – the last time our books were balanced was during the Clinton Administration. Since then, 16% of debt was added during George W’s 8 years, 30% was added during Obama’s 8 years, 25% during Trump’s 4 years, and 12% since Biden took office. Due to massive amount of funds flowing in and […]
Tourist Demand, Homes Selling Fast, New Construction Slows
Fresh lobster rolls and a hotel for its workers? While some companies are laying folks off or ‘exfoliating the workers they don’t need’ (Minnesota Staffing Firm) resorts towns can’t find enough workers or housing for them. In Cape Cod there is incredible demand during the tourist season. Mac’s shack, known for their lobster rolls, took […]
AI to Rebuild the Middle Class? Inflation Tempers
Will AI help rebuild the middle class? The industrial age provided a lot of jobs for ‘middle-skill’ work that required reading and basic math skill. Jobs on factory floors, offices, and answering phones that paid relatively well. The age of the personal computer ‘devalued mass expertise and created massively amplified demand for elite expertise’. Many […]
Fed Muscles, Values Spring Back, Rates Improve
How Powerful is the Fed? According to Fed Chair Powell – ‘there’s no limit on how much we can do other than that it must meet the tests under the law…’ As a reminder the Fed’s mandate is to protect the economy against inflation and protect the labor market -or to stabilize prices and foster […]
First Republic to Receivership? Inflation Eases, Loans Perform
Trading was halted multiple times as First Republic Bank’s stock slid 43% on Friday (down 97% this year) in response to diminished hope for a rescue deal. Rumors are pointing towards the FDIC taking the bank into receivership. The FDIC is asking other banks for potential bid and there is still a possibility of a […]
The Challenge of Factory Built Homes, 50% of Millennials Own Homes
Why it’s so hard to mass produce houses in factories – zoning, land costs, and building inefficiencies make homes expensive – why haven’t we been able to Henry Ford homes? We’ve been working on this for over a hundred years now, and at one point in the 70’s 50% of homes sold were manufactured. The largest […]
40-Yr Mortgage Modification, Manufacturing Slows, Jobs Update
40 Year Mortgage? The Department of HUD announced a 480 Month Mortgage Modification for folks that can’t achieve the minimum 25% payment reduction through standard modification means. This is for individuals who are behind on their mortgage payment due to financial distress. Mortgage Rates – increased at the end of this week after 3 weeks […]
Fed Discount Window, Loan Perform, Mortgage Rates Improve
The Federal Reserve’s Discount window is one of the Central bank’s safety nets to help keep banks alive in the event of a run. The Fed was created as the ‘lender of last resort’ after the stark market crash in 1907 caused a run on the banks. They called it a ‘window’ because it was […]
Banking Instability, Home Sales and Rates Improve
Death of a Giant – over the weekend 166-year-old Credit Suisse was forced to sell to UBS. This bank financed everything from railroad to tech companies and catered to the wealthy elite. While they survived 2008, the were injured and never fully recovered. In the past decade they suffered from scandals, and bad investments. After […]
OR Housing Boom? Bank Instability, Inflation Wanes
Zoning – Oregon has one of the country’s most centralized systems of land use planning and some of the tightest building regulations. Major zoning changes with bipartisan support are moving through legislature this year in an attempt to combat a housing shortage of 110,000 units. House Bill 2001 increases the state’s oversight on local land […]