• November 18, 2024

Mortgage rates still 'underlying' home affordability problems

According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), homebuilder confidence stands at a reading of 46 in November, up 3 points from October's level. Realtor.com chief economist Danielle Hale joins Wealth to discuss the state of the housing market. Hale highlights a significant housing shortage, noting that the US housing market has been 2.5 million to 7 million homes short over the last decade. "We need to do a lot more building," she states. She anticipates potential relief within current building challenges like labor shortages, land constraints, and regulatory hurdles when the incoming Trump administration takes office. Regarding home affordability, Hale points out that builders are implementing strategies such as mortgage rate buydowns and various incentives to attract buyers. However, she names high mortgage rates as the "underlying" issue impacting housing affordability. To watch more expert insights and analysis on the latest market action, check out more Wealth here. This post was written by Angel Smith

  • November 15, 2024

Has Gold Lost Its Luster?

Gold prices rose to records leading up to the presidential election, but they've slumped ever since, ending today's trading with the biggest weekly price decline since the Covid lockdown in March 2020. Gold futures fell for the seventh time in eight trading sessions since the election and are now 8% off the all-time high of $2,788.50 a troy ounce hit on Oct. 30. Shares of the huge SPDR Gold Shares exchange traded fund—a popular way for individual investors to trade gold—are down 8% from their peak and on a six-day losing streak.