Real Estate Market Trends - Investor purchases accounted for 30% of single-family home purchases (existing and newly built) this year [4] - High interest rates (hovering under 7%) are making it difficult for individual home buyers to qualify for mortgages [8] - Investors are buying new houses and making them available for rent, offering an alternative to buying for those who cannot afford it [9][16] - Smaller investors can be more nimble than larger private equity players due to fewer restrictions and no investment committee mandates [12][13] - Kinloch Partners rents out houses at roughly $1 per square foot, offering a 2500 square foot house for $2500 [18][19] Toy Industry & Tariffs - The toy industry is navigating tariffs, with a focus on trade deals between the US and China [21] - A toy manufacturer anticipates passing on about 20% of the 30% tariff, with the importer and retailer each absorbing 10% this year [25][26] - Tariffs will become a built-in cost in the product by 2026, leading to increased prices for consumers and lower profits for manufacturers [23] - Some toy manufacturers are deconstructing toys (e g, shipping without batteries or simplified packaging) to mitigate tariff costs [32][33][34] Market Performance & Analysis - The S&P 500 and Nasdaq closed up, with semiconductors, particularly Nvidia (market cap of $431 trillion), outperforming [2][39] - The US dollar surged due to an EU and US deal, causing a decline in the euro and negatively impacting metals [43][47][48] - Crude oil was one of the biggest gainers of the day [48]

European Union measures to restrict imports of Russian fuel and surging supplies of lighter crude are driving diesel up prices across the world, the boss of Europe’s largest oil refiner said https://t.co/o7oaj37MDB ...

China refined the most crude oil in nearly two years in June, as plants returned from seasonal maintenance to seize on better margins for fuels like diesel https://t.co/zrSzAs0Jgi ...

China’s push to stockpile crude will help offset softer commercial demand and keep imports “robust,” according to Energy Aspects https://t.co/08ctbUzzJl ...

China’s purchases of Iranian crude rose in June to the highest since March’s record levels, in part because of speedier loadings as sellers sought to avoid getting tangled in the country’s conflict with Israel, according to data from Vortexa https://t.co/f9kA4SjkRC ...

Market Dynamics - Some of China's largest ports have received Iranian crude this year [1] - This supports a multi-billion dollar oil trade [1]

Mexican oil production is on track to plummet to levels last seen in the late 1970s before the start of the giant Cantarell field, posing a threat to US refiners at a time when they need oil from the country the most https://t.co/Ej4zhAPFyE ...

[Music] Every time you stop to refuel, you might wonder why the price at the pump fluctuates so much. Gasoline prices are influenced by several factors, with crude oil being the biggest component, making up nearly 49% of the cost. Distribution and marketing account for 19%.While refining and taxes each make up 16%. Crude oil is affected by economic conditions, geopolitics, supply and demand, and inventories. For the summer of 2025, the US Energy Information Administration predicts a 9% drop from the last ye ...