Inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index dropped to an annual rate of 2.4% last month, but the impact of tariffs probably won't start showing up in the data until May
Stocks rebounded and pressure on interest rates eased after Trump announced a 90-day pause on country-specific 'reciprocal tariffs' with the exception of 125% duties on China
Heightened fears of a trade war and recession have investors convinced the Fed will start cutting rates again in June, a sentiment that gives mortgage rates more room to come down
Sweeping plan imposes higher duties on 'worst offenders' and is in addition to 25% tariff on foreign automobiles slated to take effect April 3, president says at White House press conference
Demand for purchase mortgages has been stronger than a year ago for more than 2 months as mortgage rates stay well below 2025 highs seen in January, MBA lender surveys show
Tariffs are expected to rekindle inflation and slow economic growth, but the recent pullback in mortgage rates should provide a 'small boost' to home sales this year, economists say
Purchase loan requests are up 7% from a year ago, as loosening housing inventory and a pullback in mortgage rates presents FHA buyers with more opportunities: MBA survey
Central bank dials back Treasury rolloffs but is not ready to cut short-term interest rates, as Fed policymakers indicate they're more worried about inflation than they were in December
Republicans are less worried about the future than Democrats and Independents, but 'consumers from all 3 political affiliations are in agreement that the outlook has weakened since February'
Homebuyers have responded to a pullback in mortgage rates from January highs, but tariffs on imported goods could keep inflation elevated and halt the downward trend in rates
Mortgage rates eased Friday as investors took stock of new data showing employers added 151,000 workers to their payrolls in February and the unemployment rate ticked up to 4.1%
Requests to refinance surged 37% last week and were up 83% from a year ago after the biggest 1-week decline in mortgage rates since November, the MBA's latest weekly lender survey shows
Early results from February's Intel Index survey show agents pulling back slightly from confidence they had in recent months about buyer and seller client pipelines improving in the next year
After moving in the wrong direction for 3 months, annual inflation cooled to 2.5% in January. But the biggest drop in consumer spending since 2021 has 1 model predicting a shrinking economy
There's rising anxiety among investors and consumers about the potential impacts of a trade war, surveys show, with stock prices and bond yields retreating as March 4 deadline looms