Bipartisan Efforts For Housing Affordability

Economic Signals - Retail sales have shown signs of consumer fatigue, leading to increased focus on the upcoming nonfarm payrolls report [2] Corporate Developments - Paramount has increased its bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, while an activist investor is preparing to oppose Netflix's deal [2] - Ford reported its largest quarterly loss, attributed to EV-related writedowns, tariffs, and increased costs from fires at its aluminum supplier [2] Housing Legislation - A bipartisan housing package, the Housing for the 21st Century Act, has passed the House and aims to enhance housing supply and homeownership [3] - The Senate is expected to vote on a similar bill, the ROAD to Housing Act, with efforts needed to reconcile both bills before sending a unified measure to the President [3][4] - The Housing for the 21st Century Act includes 38 sections aimed at removing regulatory barriers, expanding local lending, and streamlining processes [4] Political Dynamics - The Trump administration is facing resistance regarding a proposed ban on large Wall Street investors from purchasing single-family homes, with many legislators favoring supply-side solutions for housing affordability [5] Market Updates - Blackstone has raised its stake in Anthropic during a recent funding round [7] - Tesla's sales executive has resigned, and xAI has lost another co-founder [7] - ByteDance has denied reports about an in-house AI chip project [7] Economic Indicators - There are indications of a consumer pullback, with Q4 GDP estimates being cut and household debt increasing [6] - Wealth manager stocks have declined following the launch of a new AI tool [6]