Confounded Interest – Anthony B. Sanders
Financial Markets And Real Estate
Thanks a lot Fed! Home prices rose dramatically after Covid as The Fed printed billions of dollar of currency (M2). Making housing unaffordable for much of America.
As a result of higher mortgage rates and higher home prices, homebuilder confidence is at a 13 year low (back to 2012).
Housing is simply unaffordable thanks to bad housing policies and The Fed.
May Rent inflation 3.81% YoY, down from 3.98% in April, lowest since Jan 2022.
May Shelter inflation 3.86% YoY, down from 3.99% in April, lowest since Nov 2021
In general, CPI increased 0.1% MoM after rising 0.2 percent in April; Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 2.4 percent before seasonal adjustment. The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.1% in May, following a 0.2% increase in April.
The index for shelter rose 0.3% in May and was the primary factor in the all items monthly increase. The food index increased 0.3% as both of its major components, the index for food at home and the index for food away from home also rose 0.3% in May.
In contrast, the energy index declined 1.0% in May as the gasoline index fell over the month.
Indexes that increased over the month include medical care, motor vehicle insurance, household furnishings and operations, personal care, and education.
The indexes for airline fares, used cars and trucks, new vehicles, and apparel were among the major indexes that decreased in May.
Core inflation is up 2.787% YoY, considerably lower than under Autopen Biden.
M2 Money is currently growing at 4.3%.
The dismal days of Biden/Harris/Yellen are gone. Although Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries and my in-laws are all singing “Those Were The Days.” Of immense government corruption and waste.
The GDPNow model estimate for real GDP growth (seasonally adjusted annual rate) in the second quarter of 2025 is 3.8 percent on June 5, down from 4.6 percent on June 2. After recent releases from the US Census Bureau, the US Bureau of Economic Analysis, and the Institute for Supply Management, the nowcasts of second-quarter real personal consumption expenditures growth and real gross private domestic investment growth decreased from 4.0 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively, to 2.6 percent and -2.2 percent, while the nowcast of the contribution of net exports to annualized second-quarter real GDP growth increased from 1.36 percentage points to 2.01 percentage points.
Here is the breakdown.
The Fed still needs to lower rates by 100 basis points, but that looks unlikely.
Mortgage applications decreased 3.9 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 30, 2025. This week’s results included an adjustment for the Memorial Day holiday.
The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 3.9 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 15 percent compared with the previous week. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 4 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 15 percent compared with the previous week and was 18 percent higher than the same week one year ago.
The Refinance Index decreased 4 percent from the previous week and was 42 percent higher than the same week one year ago.
Most mortgage rates moved lower last week, with the 30-year fixed rate declining to 6.92 percent and staying in the 6.8 to 7 percent range since April.
Biden/Harris/Yellen’s gross economic mismanagement reminds me of the song “Into The Mystic.” Because it requires a mystic to determine WHO was running the Biden/Harris adminstration and using the autopen.
CC Rider! 30Y MBC Current Coupon (CC) spreads is widening.
And metals are along for the ride! Gold and silver are soaring!
The Fed’s favorite inflation indicator – Core PCE – fell once again in April to its lowest since April 2021 at +2.5% YoY.
And The Fed keeps on printing money!
Supercore inflation is down to -0.023 MoM.
The Fed is thinking that they can help.
Now you know why Trump is so eager to cut wasteful spending! The real mystery is why Democrats and RINOs are so determined to continue wasteful spending and not cut taxes.
Trump inherited a fiscal disaster from Biden and Congress. Not to mention The Federal Reserve. Credit default swaps (CDS) for the USA are near Greece (and China) levels.
Since Covid struck in 2020, US debt is up a staggering 56%!
And M2 Money is up 40% since Covid.
Opa! Our country is on fire!
Well, U.S. and China reached an agreement to lower tariffs in a 90-day cool-off period. Despite China claiming they would NEVER agree to tariffs! The result? The NASDAQ 100 rose to its highest level since mid-February.
So much for the MSNBC/CNN doomsayers.
The delinquency rate on US commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) for offices SURGED to 10.3% in April, near the highest EVER.
Moreover, the multifamily delinquency rate spiked 113bps in April, to 6.57%, the highest since 2015.
The Fed can help, but won’t. We are still struggling to recover from Biden’s cockeyed management of the economy,
Mortgage applications increased 11.0 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending May 2, 2025.
The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, increased 11.0 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index increased 12 percent compared with the previous week. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index increased 11 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index increased 12 percent compared with the previous week and was 13 percent higher than the same week one year ago.
The Refinance Index increased 11 percent from the previous week and was 51 percent higher than the same week one year ago.
The economic news last week included a negative reading for first-quarter GDP growth and further signs of contraction in the manufacturing sector, mixed with a solid employment report for April. The net impact on mortgage rates was mostly downward but just back to levels from early April. The 30-year fixed rate declined to 6.84 percent.
But there will be no rate cuts today from The Fed.
Confounded Interest - Anthony B. Sanders 
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