Prices of New Houses -19% from Peak, Lowest since June 2021. Why Sales of New Houses Held Up, while Sales of Existing Houses Plunged by Wolf Richter • Mar 25, 2024 • 109 Comments Prices of New Houses v. Existing Houses: Price cuts and mortgage-rate buydowns make new houses more attractive.
The Fed’s Liabilities: How Far Can QT Go? What’s the Lowest Possible Level of the Balance Sheet without Blowing Stuff Up? by Wolf Richter • Mar 23, 2024 • 242 Comments Reserves, Domestic ON RRPs, Currency in Circulation, the TGA, and official foreign RRPs determine how far QT can go.
Prices of Existing Homes in Germany Tank 14% so far, as ECB-Fueled Housing Bubble Turns into Housing Bust by Wolf Richter • Mar 22, 2024 • 112 Comments Germany is an example of what interest-rate repression and QE do to home prices, and what happens when inflation causes those policies to be reversed.
Amid Weak Demand for Existing Homes, Active Listings & Price Reductions Jump, Listing Prices Weaken by Wolf Richter • Mar 21, 2024 • 117 Comments “Many potential buyers are postponing their purchasing plans in hopes of securing lower rates. Consequently, lower buyer competitions exerted downward pressure on prices”: Realtor.com
What Powell Said About Slowing the Pace of QT: “By Going Slower, You Can Get Farther” by Wolf Richter • Mar 20, 2024 • 158 Comments They learned a lesson from the mess in 2019, which Powell referred to several times.
Fed Still Sees 3 Rate Cuts in 2024, But 2-Cut Scenario only 1 Participant Short, Holds Rates at 5.50% Top of Range, QT Continues as Planned by Wolf Richter • Mar 20, 2024 • 208 Comments Raises longer-run rate projection (higher for longer), and projections for inflation and GDP in 2024.
Intel to Get $23 Billion in Government Grants & Loans Plus $25 Billion Investment Tax Credits, to Invest $100 Billion in the US, after Wasting $94 Billion on Share Buybacks in 15 Years by Wolf Richter • Mar 20, 2024 • 91 Comments Sure, good industrial and security policy to put semiconductor production on US soil. But these massive government handouts to the richest companies?
Bank of Japan Keeps Making its Loosest-Ever Monetary Policy Slightly Less Loose in Tiny Steps at Slowest-Ever Snail’s Pace by Wolf Richter • Mar 19, 2024 • 85 Comments Which devalued the yen by a Third-Worldish 30% against the USD in two years as other central banks hiked in big increments and started QT.
The Most Splendid Housing Bubbles in Canada: National House Prices Flat in Feb., -16% from Peak, Condos Drop Further, on Bank of Canada’s 5% & Massive QT by Wolf Richter • Mar 18, 2024 • 65 Comments Toronto condos drop to 28-month low, Vancouver houses -4% from peak in 2022 but condos near high. Calgary houses set new highs.
Brick-and-Mortar Meltdown Fells another Retailer: Joann Inc. Files for Bankruptcy 3 Years after IPO by Wolf Richter • Mar 18, 2024 • 96 Comments The IPO allowed the PE firm that had acquired Joann via an LBO in 2010 to dump the shares into the lap of the public.
