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This week, 30-year mortgage rates averaged 6.82%, according to Freddie Mac. Though mortgage rates are expected to go down in 2024, when they'll start dropping depends on how inflation trends in the coming months. This has kept mortgage rates elevated. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowToday's refinance ratesMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: Freddie Mac, Sam Khater, Freddie Mac's, they've, Fannie Mae, you'll Organizations: Federal Reserve, Mortgage, Association, Zillow, Sky Locations: Chevron

☆ Opinion: Investing in oil and gas doesn’t make sense anymore
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Opinion Tom Steyer | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Some might think that, questions of morality aside, fossil fuel investments are just too good to pass up. Even in the United States, where President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act is making historic investments in clean energy, oil exports are at an all-time high. On closer examination, the simplest argument against funding new oil, gas and coal projects is not that they’re immoral. What should be even more concerning to investors is that fossil fuel companies’ challenges go beyond supply and demand. Finally, there is perhaps the greatest risk fossil fuel investors face: the industry’s massive profits are largely dependent on special treatment by governments.

Persons: Tom Steyer, Pimco, Vladimir Putin’s, Joe Biden’s, I’ve, —, there’s, Morgan Stanley, persuasively, Herbert Stein Organizations: Solutions, CNN, JPMorgan Chase, State Street, Global Energy Monitor, Farallon Capital, ” Locations: BlackRock, Ukraine, United States, Texas, Farallon

This week, 30-year mortgage rates averaged 6.37%, according to Zillow data. Most major forecasters expect mortgage rates to decline in 2024, but so far we haven't seen any signs of a sustained drop. As we get more data showing that inflation is cooling, mortgage rates should start trending down more definitively. The sooner the Fed can start cutting rates, the sooner mortgage rates will start to fall. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: you'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: Commerce Department, Fed, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

☆ Blackrock says bitcoin will be a good portfolio diversifier despite its recent rally with stocks
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Tanaya Macheel | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Bitcoin is more like digital gold than a so-called "risk-on" asset, according to Robert Mitchnick, BlackRock's digital assets lead. For years, bitcoin's ability to behave in different ways at different times has stumped investors . "Historically bitcoin's long-term average correlation [to stocks] has been close to zero – slightly positive, but close to zero," he said. While the recent rally was spurred by the launch of U.S. bitcoin ETFs, some on Wall Street have suggested that it may have recently fused into the more macroeconomic-fueled gold rally . Risk and portfolio construction That, understandably, adds confusion for newcomers to bitcoin investing, who are drawn to its digital gold-like qualities.

Persons: Robert Mitchnick, BlackRock's, bitcoin, It's, Bitcoin, bitcoin rocketed, Mitchnick Organizations: New York City, Fed, BlackRock Locations: New York

☆ Boomers fed up with Florida are moving to southern Appalachia, fueling a population spike in longtime rural communities
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Boomers who once flocked to Florida are increasingly ditching the state for southern Appalachia. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementFor decades, Florida has remained a top destination for retirees looking to settle down roots as they enjoy their golden years. Many boomers moving into southern Appalachia have also bypassed Florida altogether. But some new residents fear Dawson County will simply become a northern outpost of the vast Atlanta metropolitan region, known for its suburban sprawl.

Persons: Boomers, —, Ed Helms, Johnnie, Billy Thurmond Organizations: Service, Street Journal, Northeast Locations: Florida, Appalachia, Midwest, Southwest Virginia, North Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Appalachian, Dawson County , Georgia, Dawsonville, Atlanta, Dawson, Pickens, Panama City Beach , Florida, Dawson County

Mortgage rates have been elevated over the last couple of months. Thirty-year mortgage rates have averaged 6.50% in March, just two basis points below where they were in February. Forecasters at the Mortgage Bankers Association, Fannie Mae, the National Association of Realtors, and elsewhere have been predicting that mortgage rates will start trending lower soon. The sooner the Fed can start cutting rates, the sooner mortgage rates will start to fall. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: Fannie Mae, they've, you'll Organizations: Mortgage Bankers Association, National Association of Realtors, Federal Reserve, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

Average 30-year mortgage rates are now in the upper 6% range, which is where they were at the start of the month. Where mortgage rates go next depends on the economy. Until inflation comes down further, mortgage rates will likely remain near their current levels. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowToday's refinance ratesMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: you'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

Average 30-year mortgage rates have generally been hovering in the 6.30% to 6.40% range this week, according to Zillow data. Where mortgage rates go next depends on the economy. As long as inflation continues to slow and the labor market doesn't heat back up, mortgage rates should go down in 2024. This means that we could see mortgage rates inch down just ahead of the summer months. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: you'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: Federal Reserve, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

☆ How an airplane toilet works at 40,000 feet: The extraordinary science behind everyday flying
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Julia Buckley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +18 min

And most important of all, how does a toilet work at 40,000 feet? Matthias Balk/dpa/picture alliance/Getty ImagesUsing water to flush airplane toilets is a no go because of aircraft weight restrictions. When you press the flush button, a valve opens at the bottom of the toilet bowl, connecting it to a pipe below. Airplanes have never deliberately shot their toilet waste into the atmosphere, not even in the old days, says Jones. The onboard air circulation of today isn’t just about keeping healthy – it also controls how passengers feel, especially on longhaul flights.

Persons: Al St, Germain, who’s, James Kemper, Matthias Balk, biggie, ”, Nigel Jones, Jones, it’s, that’s, “, Martin Leissl, Nik Sennhauser, Jones –, bev, ” Kris Major, he’s, Don Buchman, – Buchman, Buchman, “ It’s, St Organizations: CNN, Delta, “, Kingston University, UK’s Royal Aeronautical Society, Airlines, JAL, Al Nippon Airways, Oman Air, Boeing, Airplanes, British Airways, Bloomberg, Getty, European Transport Workers ’ Federation Joint, Viasat, Netflix, Pilots, JetBlue, Germain . British Airways, US, American Airlines, Environmental Protection Agency, Airbus Locations: St, London, It’s, Japanese, Oman, Antarctica, London’s Heathrow, Europe, what’s, North America, New York City, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, New York, Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Iberia, Southwest

Mortgage rates have receded a bit this week, with average 30-year mortgage rates hovering around 10 basis points below last week's average at 6.59%,according to Zillow data. Depending on how some upcoming economic reports turn out, we could see mortgage rates inch down a little further in March. Now that the Fed is considering cutting rates this year, many experts believe that mortgage rates will go down soon. This is a key gauge of inflation, and the results of this report could also cause some volatility with mortgage rates. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: you'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: Federal Reserve, of Labor Statistics, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

Mortgage rates have been fairly calm so far this week, with average 30-year mortgage rates hovering around 6.61%, according to Zillow data. Once the Fed starts lowering its benchmark rate, mortgage rates are expected to trend down as well. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowToday's refinance ratesMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. Sky high mortgage rates have pushed many hopeful buyers out of the market, slowing homebuying demand and putting downward pressure on home prices. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: Fannie Mae, you'll Organizations: Fed, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: decelerate, stagnate, Chevron

☆ Premarket stocks: Revolution or market bubble? Investors weigh the AI boom
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

New York CNN —What’s the difference between a revolution and a market bubble? Thanks to strong performances in stocks and bonds in 2023, coupled with steady savings rates and employer-provided matching contributions, 401(k) investors ended 2023 very much in the black, reports my colleague Jeanne Sahadi. That’s according to new fourth-quarter data from Fidelity Investments, one of the largest providers of workplace retirement plans that cover 23 million 401(k) participants. The troubled plant-based meat company, which has partnerships with McDonald’s and KFC owner Yum! On a Tuesday call with Beyond Meat’s investors, Brown outlined a set of initiatives intended to rightsize the struggling company.

Persons: New York CNN —, ’, Jamie Dimon, Dimon, ”, Torsten Slok, Yung, Yu Ma, “, Jeanne Sahadi, Gen Xers, Fidelity, Samantha Delouya, Ethan Brown, Brown Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Nvidia, AMD, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, JPMorgan, CNBC, Apollo Global Management, Federal Reserve, BMO Wealth Management, Big, Norges Bank Investment Management, Legal, General, AFL, US Securities and Exchange Commission, Lawyers, SEC, Fidelity, Fidelity Investments, McDonald’s, KFC, Brands Locations: New York, California, “

The economy has been doing surprisingly well so far this year, and it's pushing mortgage rates back up. Average 30-year mortgage rates rose 13 basis points to 6.90% this week, according to Freddie Mac. Average 15-year mortgage rates also increased to 6.29% this week, a 17-point jump. Once the Federal Reserve starts lowering the federal funds rate, mortgage rates are expected to go down as well. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: Freddie Mac, Sam Khater, Freddie Mac's, you'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: Federal Reserve, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

☆ Premarket stocks: Is Nvidia too big to fail?
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Nicole Goodkind | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Investors expect Nvidia to report earnings of $4.59 a share and $20.378 billion in revenue, up from just $6.05 billion a year before. Too big to fail: For the time being, Nvidia is the “most sophisticated and deployed” chipmaker in the world, and its output is one of national importance, said Newman. Capital One wants to be the biggest credit card company in America. If approved by regulators and shareholders, Capital One’s (COF) acquisition will create the biggest US credit card company by loan volume. Compared to other major credit card issuers, Capital One has historically catered to customers with credit scores in the 600s range, which is considered subprime.

Persons: “, ”, Daniel Newman, Newman, Jensen Huang, ” What’s, Sam Altman, Pat Gelsinger, Elisabeth Buchwald, Biden, Richard Fairbank, Fairbank, Samantha Delouya, Dow, Dow hasn’t Organizations: CNN Business, Bell, New York CNN, Nvidia, Wall, Microsoft, Apple, Investors, Intel, AMD, Discover Financial Services, Capital, Discover, Mastercard, Consumer Financial, Bureau, Walgreens, Dow Jones, Alliance, Dow Jones Industrial, Dow Jones Indices, Dow, Tesla Locations: New York, California, United States, China, Dubai, America

If inflation remains near current levels or looks like it's ticking back up, mortgage rates could climb higher. Average 30-year mortgage rates rose 13 basis points to 6.77% this week, according to Freddie Mac. Once the Fed starts lowering its benchmark rate, the federal funds rate, mortgage rates are expected to go down as well. This means we might not see mortgage rates fall substantially until the second half of 2024. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: Freddie Mac, Sam Khater, Freddie Mac's, Price, you'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

Fed officials have indicated they may cut rates at least three times this year, which should allow mortgage rates to decrease. Though mortgage rates aren't directly impacted by the Fed, investor expectations of how Fed changes will impact the overall economy can push mortgage rates up or down. Hopeful homebuyers waiting for lower rates may finally have some luck this summer — though those who wait until next year will likely see even lower rates. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowToday's refinance ratesMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: you'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: Federal Reserve, Fed, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

☆ This is the No. 1 mistake people make during divorce, says Ariana Grande's high-powered divorce lawyer
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Aditi Shrikant | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

"The biggest mistake couples make is not owning what's going on," she says. But, it'll save you lots of money and time if you simply cut out the middle man, Wasser says. Couples will often use lawyers to hash out tedious requests, most of which don't require any legal expertise. The average price of an uncontested divorce is between $1,500 and $5,500, according to reporting by CNBC. "I'm not saying divorce lawyers are evil people," she says.

Persons: Wasser, Kim Kardashian, Britney Spears, Ariana Grande, I'm Organizations: CNBC

Borrowers saw mortgage rates drop dramatically late last year, and experts have been calling for rates to go down this year as well. Mortgage rates are expected to fall this year once the Federal Reserve starts lowering the federal funds rate. The longer the Fed waits to start cutting rates, the longer borrowers will likely have to wait for lower mortgage rates. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowToday's refinance ratesMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: you'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve, Fed, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

☆ Voting underway in El Salvador, where strongman president’s victory is all but assured
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-04 | by ( David Shortell | Stefano Pozzebon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Polls are open in El Salvador, where the strongman president Nayib Bukele is expected to easily win a second term amid a dramatic turnaround in the country’s once-sky high levels of violence. Bukele, 42, faced little in the way of organized opposition and enjoys one of the highest favorability ratings in the region, regularly polling above 70% in independent surveys. His supporters trumpet a crackdown on criminal gangs in the country that resulted in a dramatic fall in the murder rate, once the highest in the world. But the mass arrests – El Salvador now has the world’s highest incarceration rate – have also triggered outcry from human rights groups, who allege Bukele’s government has detained innocent people and subjected prisoners to dehumanizing conditions behind bars, including torture. A lopsided win for Bukele would likely give the young leader more leeway to reform El Salvador in his heavy-handed vision.

Persons: Nayib Bukele, – El, Bukele’s, ” Jackelyne Zelaya, Bukele, autocrats, ” –, Latinobarometro Organizations: CNN, Bukele, El Salvador, courant Locations: El Salvador, – El Salvador, American, Honduras, Ecuador, Latin America

Here's why European farmers are taking their anger to the streets:THE HISTORYPolitical Cartoons View All 253 ImagesWorld War II had spread hunger on a bountiful continent. When the war ended, Western European leaders knew that the way to people's hearts was through their stomachs. The vision of EU farming from early on was economy of scale — bigger farms, bigger holdings, setting standard rules across borders. “European farmers have found themselves under increasing pressure from many sides,” European Commission Vice President Maroš Šefčovič said. On Wednesday, the European Commission made two key proposals — one to shield EU farmers from cheap Ukrainian imports and one to sidestep an environmental measure.

Persons: Ursula, Ursula von der Leyen, —, von der, “ Ursula, ”, Jean, Francois Deflandre, Paolo Pepponi, It’s, it’s, Pepponi, Benoit Laqueue, Nicolas Abbeloos, “, Maroš Šefčovič, Šefčovič, Emmanuel Macron Organizations: HALLE, European, Agriculture, EU, European Commission, South Locations: Belgium, Paris, Brussels, EU, Ukraine, Kyiv, Halle, Lithuania, France, Spain, Italy, Rome, Europe, Sedan, New Zealand, Chile

So far this month, mortgage rates have been relatively steady. According to Zillow data, average 30-year mortgage rates have been around 6.34% in January, which is just slightly down from the previous month's average. The sooner the Fed cuts rates, the sooner mortgage rates can come down as well. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowToday's refinance ratesMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: Jerome Powell, Powell, you'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: Federal, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

The expectation of lower mortgage rates and higher demand means this year's homebuying season is shaping up to be a busy one. Though mortgage rates are expected to go down in 2024, there's no guarantee of when exactly they'll start to drop. Currently, average 30-year mortgage rates are down from their fall 2023 peak and have generally been hovering below 6.5% this month. Mortgage rates don't directly follow the Fed's benchmark rate, but investor expectations of how Fed moves could impact the broader economy can push mortgage rates up or down. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: there's, Christopher Waller, Waller, they'll, you'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: Federal Reserve, Fed, Brookings Institution, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

Despite the latest Consumer Price Index data coming in a bit hot according to Thursday's report, mortgage rates have been holding steady this week. Average 30-year mortgage rates remained in a tight 6.3%-to-6.45% range, only up a little bit from the previous week. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage Refinance Rates TodayMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments. This is good news for mortgage rates — as inflation slows and the Federal Reserve is able to start cutting the federal funds rate, mortgage rates are expected to trend down as well.

Persons: We'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: Federal Reserve, Fed, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky, ARM Locations: Chevron

Mortgage rates dropped substantially toward the end of last year, but it could be a few months before we see them ease further. This week, average 30-year mortgage rates inched up to 6.66%, according to Freddie Mac, a four-basis-point increase from the week before. Though we may need to wait a bit longer for the Fed to start cutting rates, once it does, mortgage rates should recede somewhat. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowToday's refinance ratesMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. This means your entire monthly mortgage payment, including taxes and insurance, shouldn't exceed 28% of your pre-tax monthly income.

Persons: Freddie Mac, Sam Khater, Freddie Mac's, you'll, Fannie Mae Organizations: Federal Reserve, Fed, Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky Locations: Chevron

Mortgage rates have been steadily trending down for over a month now, and they plunged even further last week. As long as inflation continues to decelerate, mortgage rates should go down in 2024. Mortgage Rates TodayMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage Refinance Rates TodayMortgage type Average rate today This information has been provided by Zillow. See more mortgage rates on Zillow Real Estate on ZillowMortgage CalculatorUse our free mortgage calculator to see how today's mortgage rates will affect your monthly and long-term payments.

Persons: Fannie Mae Organizations: Zillow, Mortgage, Association, Sky, ARM Locations: Chevron

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