When the #US & #Israel attacked #Iran, setting off an #energy crisis & raising new #inflation concerns in #FinancialMarkets. The result has been a jump in the yield on government bonds, & falling expectations for #InterestRate cuts later this year. The yield on the 10-year #Treasury note, which acts as a broad reference interest rate that underpins the US #mortgage market, climbed to 4.25% Thursday, up from below 4% before the war began.

#economy #affordability #CostOfLiving #Trump #recession

#Home buyers have already been struggling with high #prices, as well as rising #insurance & #property #taxes. #MortgageRates were one source of relief, having fallen from much higher levels in recent years. Even at 6.11, rates are well below their recent peak of 7.8% in October 2023, which was the highest level in decades as the #economy was recovering from the #pandemic. Back then the yield on the 10-year Treasury note was approaching 5%.

#affordability #CostOfLiving #Trump #recession

But if the recent uptick continues, #MortgageRates will add to a list of concerns that could keep #home buyers on the sidelines, said Hannah Jones, a senior economic research analyst at Realtor.com.

“Spring feels very uncertain,” Jones said. “This definitely feels like we’re back where we were a year ago: #tariff uncertainty, #economic uncertainty, #geopolitical uncertainty. All of this is making the path ahead seem really unclear.”

#economy #affordability #CostOfLiving #Trump

The #housing #market has been stuck since the #pandemic. Record-low #InterestRates during that period kicked off a buying frenzy that sent home prices soaring. Millions of homeowners refinanced #mortgages at those low rates—many below 4 or 5%—leaving them reluctant to sell & take on a new mortgage when rates rose.

A recent NYT/Siena poll found that a majority of Americans feel homeownership is out of reach. As a result, about 1 in 4 Americans are delaying major purchases like buying a home….

The strain in the #housing market has become a key political issue, & #Trump has raised a number of [impractical] ideas for how to address the costs — like introducing 50-year mortgages, barring Wall Street investors from buying single-family homes & directing Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac to purchase $200 billion in mortgage-backed bonds. His admin has yet to follow through on most of them.

#economy #affordability #CostOfLiving #trumpcession #recession

“Investors” accounted for 30.2% of home purchases in 2025, nearly double their share at the start of the #pandemic, according to data from Cotality. A report from Realtor.com found the change wasn’t because of a surge of investor activity, but rather a pullback from traditional buyers who could no longer afford today’s prices.

#WealthDivide #inequity #economy #affordability #CostOfLiving #housing #Trump #trumpcession #recession

Higher #MortgageRates could widen that gap even further, making it harder for many households; wealthier buyers & investors are more likely to pay in cash.

The geopolitical tensions driving #energy prices higher are also complicating the outlook for #InterestRates. Expectations that the #FederalReserve might begin cutting rates have faded as #markets worry #inflation could stay higher for longer than anticipated.

#WealthDivide #inequity #economy #affordability #CostOfLiving #housing #Trump