Vital Statistics:
Last | Change | |
S&P Futures | 2565.8 | 5.3 |
Eurostoxx Index | 390.2 | 1.1 |
Oil (WTI) | 51.0 | -0.3 |
US dollar index | 86.7 | 0.2 |
10 Year Govt Bond Yield | 2.35% | |
Current Coupon Fannie Mae TBA | 102.875 | |
Current Coupon Ginnie Mae TBA | 103.938 | |
30 Year Fixed Rate Mortgage | 3.9 |
Stocks are higher after the Senate passed a budget resolution which allows tax reform to go forward. Bonds and MBS are down.
Existing Home Sales increased 0.7% in September, according to the National Association of Realtors. This is down 1.5% YOY. September’s number was only slightly higher than August, which was the lowest reading in a year. The median home price rose 4.2% to 245,100. Inventory is still a big problem, down YOY at 4.2 month’s worth from 4.5 a year ago. The first time homebuyer was 29% of sales, which was a drop. There is a complete dearth of listings at the low end of the market.
The Senate passed a budget resolution last night on party lines (with Rand Paul voting against) which allows tax reform to go forward on a simple majority. There are still a couple of differences between what the House and Senate are willing to accept. The House wants to see revenue-neutral tax reform, while the Senate is willing to accept an increase in the deficit. The House version includes spending cuts to offset the tax cuts, while the Senate version envisions additional revenue from allowing more oil production in Alaska. They hope to have a deal by the end of the year.
General Electric missed earnings badly this morning, however this appears to be a bit of a kitchen sink release for the new CEO. Regardless, the stock is down 6% this morning. GE historically has been a bellwether for the entire stock market, but today the FAANGs run the show.
The next Fed nominee is reportedly a horse race between Jerome Powell and John Taylor. Trump is expected to make his announcement in the next couple of weeks. Insiders say that Powell is the favorite of the two. Both nominees are more hawkish than Janet Yellen, which means rates will go up faster and higher, at least at the margin. In all honesty, the practical differences between Yellen and these nominees is not all that large. It probably won’t make any difference to the economy.
The increasing digitization of real estate transactions has increased the risk of fraud. Scammers are issuing emailed instructions to change wire transfer destinations on closing day. The best step buyers can take is simply to be aware of the potential for fraud and to verify everything, especially changes in wiring instructions.
The latest CoreLogic Market Pulse takes a look at the effects of the hurricanes on local real estate markets. They estimate that 70% of the flood damage in the Houston area is uninsured. This will be a nightmare for loan servicers. Separately, Black Knight Financial Services is seeing about a 9% jump in past-due mortgages due to the hurricanes. In fact, September had the first year-on-year increase in delinquencies since 2010.
Filed under: Economy, Morning Report |
God damn Republicans always looking out for the rich!
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/theres-talk-of-capping-401k-contributions-at-2400-per-year-2017-10-20
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well that will endear them to the upper middle class.
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I’d prefer that the cap be the same between IRA’s and 401k’s. I’d rather just manage my own IRA vs having to go with whatever 401k the employer provides because the tax benefits are greater.
And of course there’s the whole annoying phase out of IRA contributions when you have an employer provided 401k based on income.
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that and the rollover PITA if you leave.
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and through raising questions about how “Mockingbird” (and American history) complicates the modern “believe victims” movement.
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/why-are-we-still-teaching-kill-mockingbird-schools-ncna812281
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Interesting read
“The White-Minstrel Show
by Kevin D. Williamson
October 20, 2017 4:00 AM”
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/452910/white-working-class-populism-underclass-anti-elitism-acting-white-incompatible-conservativism
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What the fuck, I thought lefties were desperate for a coup?
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/john-kelly-and-the-language-of-the-military-coup
https://pagesix.com/2017/08/13/chelsea-handler-wants-military-coup-to-overthrow-trump/
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Can a tranny Mansplain?
Makes you think.
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Transplain?
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This made me laugh out loud.
Most people on the left think of themselves as resisters of authority,
When were Democrats disadvantaged in fundraising?
Worshiping these very special people is the doctrine that has allowed Democrats to pull even with Republicans in fundraising
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/oct/21/harvey-weinstein-liberal-world
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Dude can’t bring himself to provide obvious answers.
https://marketurbanismreport.com/the-disconnect-between-liberal-aspirations-and-liberal-housing-policy-is-killing-coastal-us-cities/
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“We have a system in which relatively affluent residents in our cities each own a hugely valuable capital asset—their land and the home that it sits upon—which is appreciating at nearly double-digit rates each year”
Say what? Housing has gone nowhere for over a decade… Fact, schmacts…
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Because San Francisco and New York are the only two places that count.
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And DC
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I have always dug Grace Jones.
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