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
Economic uncertainty, rate volatility and mounting worries about the labor market are reducing the pool of potential buyers, putting a damper on the spring homebuying season
Mortgage rates are climbing back toward 7% on fears that tariffs could reignite inflation, but Fed Chair Jerome Powell warns policymakers would be challenged if unemployment also rises
The University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment fell 11% from March to April to 50.8 and is now lower than it was at any point during the 2007-2009 Great Recession
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
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'
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
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
Constellation Data Labs will provide active property listings and public records to a broader range of industries including mortgage lenders, asset managers and insurers
Trump calls for lower interest rates after release of January CPI report. Powell says Fed is in no hurry to cut rates, and bond market investors who fund mortgages are taking him at his word