Let the Guessing Games Begin
July 18, 2023 For two years from the inception of the pandemic, the Federal Reserve kept short-term interest rates close to zero. Then as the pandemic waned and the economy bounced back, the Fed went on an inflation fighting campaign and they raised rates at ten straight meetings over a 15-month period. At the last […]
Read MoreTo The Fed It Is Not a Pause
June 13, 2023 When a kitten or puppy waves their paws at us, it is considered major cuteness in action. When the Federal Reserve Board is faced with a decision regarding the “pausing” of interest rate hikes, there is no cuteness involved – just a bunch of hemming and hawing (not pawing). So, the Fed […]
Read MoreHere Comes The Fed
June 13, 2023 Fifteen months ago, the Federal Reserve Board’s Open Market Committee met and raised short-term interest rates for the first time in almost four years. Since then, there has been an automatic rise in short-term rates each time they have met – ten times in all. In a previous commentary we spoke about […]
Read MoreSeasonality, Debt and Banks
May 30, 2023 Why did we put these three words together? First, we just celebrated Memorial Day. Though summer does not start officially for a few weeks, Memorial Day is the unofficial start of the summer season. It is the time that school starts to let out and the masses plan their vacations. In the […]
Read MoreThe Tide is Turning
May 23, 2023 For a year we have had to deal with rising interest rates and lower home affordability. Much of this was expected after record-low interest rates helped fuel a real estate purchasing frenzy which resulted in prices increasing by double digits for the past few years. Fast forward to today, and home prices […]
Read MoreThe Tide is Turning
May 23, 2023 For a year we have had to deal with rising interest rates and lower home affordability. Much of this was expected after record-low interest rates helped fuel a real estate purchasing frenzy which resulted in prices increasing by double digits for the past few years. Fast forward to today, and home prices […]
Read MoreDoes It Feel Like a Recession?
May 16, 2023 Fannie Mae’s economists say a recession is coming. So does the Mortgage Bankers Association. As a matter of fact, 58% of economists are predicting a recession coming in the near future. Some even are predicting that the recession has started in the second quarter, but most are now expecting the start to […]
Read MoreTriple Whammy Time
There Are Predictions and Then There Are Predictions
April 18, 2023 We are now over one-quarter of the way through the year. We will soon have the first measure of economic growth for the first quarter of the year – just in time for the Federal Reserve to meet again and decide whether to raise short-term rates again. Thus, we feel that it […]
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