Joining us now to react, Dan Clifton is head of policy research at Strategus, a bar company, and Claudia Sam is New Century Advisors chief economist. Welcome to you both. Claudia, let me just start with you from kind of the I was going to say egghehead, but that would be impolite from the the economics professions point of view on all of this.Um, but also, I mean, you've had some really thoughtful things say about what what is going on with the economy and inflation. What's your reaction to to Worsh's comme ...

Investment Rating - The report does not explicitly provide an investment rating for the industry Core Insights - The FOMC is positioned to wait for more clarity on inflation and economic activity, with a careful approach to adjusting monetary policy due to elevated uncertainty [2][3] - Most participants believe that some reductions in the fed funds rate would likely be appropriate this year, with a median forecast of two cuts in 2025 [3][4] - The Fed staff's economic forecast indicates higher GDP growth through 2027 compared to previous forecasts, primarily due to trade policy announcements [4][8] Summary by Sections FOMC Meeting Minutes - Participants generally agreed on a wait-and-see approach regarding inflation and economic activity, noting that uncertainty had decreased since the May meeting [2] - A few participants suggested that tariffs might only lead to a one-time price increase, while most noted the risk of persistent inflation effects [4] Economic Forecasts - The Fed staff's forecast includes higher GDP growth through 2027 and a lower inflation projection than in May, with expectations for inflation to return to the 2% target by 2027 [8] - The staff anticipates that tariff increases will raise inflation this year and provide a small boost in 2026 [8] Communication Strategy - A preliminary discussion was held regarding potential changes to the Summary of Economic Projections and the addition of alternative scenarios to the FOMC's communications strategy [9]

Federal Reserve Policy & Interest Rates - The market is debating whether the Federal Reserve should cut interest rates by 25 basis points [5][6] - The current Fed funds rate is floating around 425 to 450 basis points, approximately 43% [2] - Some believe the Fed is too focused on past data and risks being late in responding to economic changes [4][6][10] - Cutting rates by 75 basis points occurred last year [5] Inflation & Economic Factors - Housing costs, a significant component of CPI and PPI, are impacted by the Fed's balance sheet reduction of $35 billion [3] - Tariffs' full effect on inflation is still uncertain [2][6] - The speaker believes inflation is moderating and not out of control [5][6] - The Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) at 31% is not a major concern [9] Bond Market & Treasury Yields - The 2-year Treasury note yield is around 4% [2] - The 10-year and 2-year Treasury yields are at the same level as in autumn 2022 [13] - The bond market and the Federal Reserve may not be aligned in their expectations [12]

Last week, mortgage rates hit their lowest points in over three years. They’re still relatively low, but they’ve increased a little bit. The national average 30-year rate is now 6.09%, according to Freddie Mac. So, what does this mean for the 2026 housing market? Will mortgage rates go back down soon? Are mortgage rates dropping? Mortgage rates are dropping overall. They are near their lowest levels in more than three years, though they’ve ticked up since last week. As of January 22, Freddie Mac repor ...

Mortgage rates continue to remain in a narrow range into 2026. The 30-year fixed mortgage rate has hovered within 11 basis points of its 2025 low since October 23. The national average 30-year rate is now 6.16%, according to Freddie Mac. So, what does this mean for the 2026 housing market? Will mortgage rates continue to go down? What will it take to push rates lower? Mortgage rates have generally been falling since the end of May. Weekly moves are small, but longer-term changes are more apparent. Howe ...

Mortgage rates are now at their lowest points in over three years. The national average 30-year rate is now 6.06%, according to Freddie Mac. So, what does this mean for the 2026 housing market? Will mortgage rates continue to go down? Are mortgage rates dropping? Yes, mortgage rates are dropping overall. They are at their lowest levels in more than three years. As of January 15, Freddie Mac reported that the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate is at its lowest since the fall of 2022, now sitting ...