The Treasury Secretary blamed the Federal Reserve for the current housing recession and said that if the central bank cut interest rates more quickly, the recession might come to a close
If the US maintains tight control over the mortgage giants with 'implicit guarantee' of their obligations, rates might rise by 1/5 of a percentage point, Stanford researchers say
Investors who fund most home loans are no longer wondering whether the Fed will cut rates this month, but by how much. At least 3 quarter-percentage point rate cuts are now expected this year
Survey shows most Americans are concerned that privatizing the mortgage giants might lead to higher mortgage rates, with Democrats and independents most likely to be worried
Impact on rates depends on the structure of rumored IPO. Whatever the plan, the Trump administration has stacked the boards at the mortgage giants with its supporters
Tariff uncertainties and job loss worries meant lower rates had a bigger impact last week on refinancing demand than homebuying, Mortgage Bankers Association surveys show
Economists at Fannie Mae and the Mortgage Bankers Association differ on how much room mortgage rates have to come down and how fast home price appreciation will cool
Elevated mortgage rates, weakening home price growth and uncertainty from Trump's tariff policy are setting the housing market on a dangerous path, Moody's economist Mark Zandi said on X
Lawmakers want assurances that privatizing the mortgage giants or taking them public won't drive mortgage rates up, or put investor profits 'over the homes of millions of Americans'
Shares in mortgage giants tumble as investors weigh whether the Trump administration is more interested in mining Fannie and Freddie's profits than privatizing them
Consumer confidence sank to a 5-year low in April over concerns about tariffs, while trade deficit surged to an all-time high in March, and job postings shrank more than expected
Some experts are intrigued by the idea floated by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, saying it could help put the mortgage giants on sound footing without boosting mortgage rates
President Trump has promised to release Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from its 16-year conservatorship. However, the road to privatization may be more perilous than expected
The Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge moved in the wrong direction last month for the first time since September, but core inflation fell for the 13th consecutive month, to 2.8%
A key Fed inflation metric, the PCE price index, continues to drop toward the Fed's 2% inflation target, falling from 2.6% annual growth in December to 2.4% in January