美国财长拉响警报：高利率正令住房陷入衰退，美联储必须加快降息

Group 1 - The U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Basset indicated that certain sectors of the U.S. economy, particularly housing, may have entered a recession due to persistently high interest rates, urging the Federal Reserve to accelerate interest rate cuts [1][2] - Basset highlighted that high mortgage rates are hindering the real estate market, with the lowest-end consumers being the most affected due to high debt and low assets [1] - The National Association of Realtors reported that the number of existing home sales contracts remained flat month-over-month in September [1] Group 2 - Basset described the overall economic environment as a "transition period" and criticized Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's suggestion of a potential pause in rate cuts in December [2] - Federal Reserve Governor Stephen Milan expressed concerns that failure to quickly cut rates could lead to a recession, advocating for a more significant rate cut of 50 basis points instead of the recent 25 basis points [2] - Basset agreed with Milan's view, noting that the Trump administration's spending cuts have helped reduce the federal deficit as a percentage of GDP from 6.4% to 5.9%, which aids in lowering inflation [2]