Mortgage rates are still close to record lows, but that makes owning a home no longer cheaper for home buyers. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 2.91% for the week ending August 27, falling eight basis points the week before, Freddie Mac FMCC, + 0.46% reported Thursday. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage …
Read More »Fed adopts ‘average inflation target’ of 2% as new policy
The Federal Open Market Committee on Thursday announced that it has approved changes in its written policy strategy that are widely seen as leading to an easier position of monetary policy over time. In a statement, the Fed said it had adopted an “average inflation target” and acknowledged the benefits …
Read More »Global dividends have suffered the least quarterly since financial crisis
Global dividend payments have fallen to their lowest level in more than a decade, as companies moved to protect their balance sheets amid the pandemic, and dealt a massive blow to investors who rely on payouts to grow them wealth. Total shareholder payments fell from $ 108 billion to $ …
Read More »COVID-19 and 1918 ‘Spanish flu’ have one depressing thing in common
The coronavirus of 2020 and the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918 have many differences and share many similarities, but they also combine at one point: their impact on the economy and employment, and in particular, how richer people had better opportunities to survive their respective pandemics. Both pandemics involve new, …
Read More »‘The housing market is at a sugar level’: Home sales are big, but is it a good time to buy? Here’s what the experts say
Americans are in a hurry to buy a home right now. But should you be one of them? Sales of former homes in the U.S. rose 24.7 percent between June and July to an annual adjusted annual rate of $ 5.86 million, the National Association of Realtors reported Friday. Not …
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