Managing Equity and Markets

Last week labor numbers came out. There were more jobs added than expected (the labor market remains strong) and the unemployment rate for December remained unchanged at 3.7%. Here are the unemployment rates for the past 12 months given revisions (the revisions aren't out yet for December's numbe...

The markets started off the new year by taking a breather from the incredible run that ended 2023. Markets want to see the actual policy by the Fed (cuts) before getting too ahead of themselves. Remember, nothing sprints forever. No matter the direction of the trend, pauses are needed with retest...

Congratulations on surviving 2023!I wish you and yours a healthy, happy, and prosperous New Year Too!It looks like things should be improving for our industry.Happy Holidays!

Reverse mortgages have not always had the best reputation. Back when they were created there were some negative aspects including shared equity that no longer exist.We now have to overcome some old ideas to help people use their equity to secure their retirement. The people who do not need to be ...

  Lots of People don’t have a credit score or any banking history: Around 1.5 billion people worldwide don't have access to bank services. They're called 'unbanked'. Hard to Get Loans: Even for those who use banks, less than half can actually get loans due to no history or low scores. Banks need...

Inflation numbers came in last week and they all flirted with being in line with expectations, although PPI came in on the lower side. This continues the trend of lower year-over-year inflation. For me to declare victory in the battle, I want to see 3 consecutive month-over-month declines. We hav...

Labor market numbers came in last Friday and were stronger than expected. The economy added 199k jobs vs a 190k estimate. The unemployment rate came in at 3.7%, lower than the expected 3.9%. The markets entered a mini panic mode as the Fed has publicly stated multiple times that they would like t...

The economy has seen a continuous 3-week increase in mortgage applications. This is coming in off the heels of a few weeks of decreased interest rates. The market has placed their bets: The Fed is done with rate hikes. Also, the market believes that there is now an 18% chance of a rate cut in Jan...

The new maximum loan limits were announced by the Federal Housing Finance Agency for conforming loans. Loan limits will vary depending on the county, but for most of the United States, the 2024 maximum loan limit for one-unit properties will be $766,550, an increase from $726,200 (2023 limit). Co...

Markets are betting that the Fed is done with rate hikes. Before we get ahead of ourselves, they made the same sort of bet earlier in the year when a few banks went under. However, I  believe that the markets may be right this time for a few reasons. 1. The economy does not have to be "cured" in ...