Politics, policy, and a market trying to recalibrate after a burst of volatility were the names of the game this week. President Trump’s announcement that he intends to nominate former Fed Governor Kevin Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell as Federal Reserve Chair was the largest headline. While Warsh is a known quantity with prior Fed experience and deep ties to Wall Street, the nomination introduced renewed debate about Fed independence, especially as the Supreme Court considers

The narrative this week was dominated by policy uncertainty rather than concrete action, beginning with President Trump’s long-teased $200 billion mortgage-backed securities purchase plan, which arrived at Davos with few details and little immediate market impact. Mortgage rates ended up less than 10-basis points from below pre-announcement levels, underscoring the growing consensus among economists and Fed officials that housing affordability is constrained by supply, not fi

We're at quite the intersection of political rhetoric, market structure, and stubborn economic reality. The headline catalyst this week came from President Trump, who asserted that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now worth “an absolute fortune” and directed his representatives to pursue $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities (MBS) purchases to push mortgage rates lower. The announcement was light on details and heavy on uncertainty, raising immediate questions about legal

With little economic data on the calendar this week, and many people away from their desks, bond markets traded in a tight range absent any major headlines. The release of the December FOMC Minutes reinforced a familiar theme: most policymakers still expect rate cuts if inflation continues to cool, though a meaningful minority favors holding rates steady for longer. Markets barely reacted, with odds of no change at the late-January meeting still around 85 percent. President T

This week marked another decisive step in the mortgage industry’s structural reset, led by United Wholesale Mortgage’s agreement to acquire Two Harbors in a $1.3 billion all-stock deal. While framed publicly as an MSR and portfolio-loan play, the transaction fits squarely into a broader consolidation wave reshaping the mortgage value chain. Following Rocket’s acquisition spree and Bayview’s combination of servicing, origination, and technology platforms, UWM’s move advances i

Stop me when this sounds familiar: There's a disconnect between the Federal Reserve’s official projections and the economic signals policymakers themselves emphasized. Stop? Okay. Despite the Fed delivering a third consecutive 25-basis-point cut and launching $40 billion per month in T-bill purchases, investors largely ignored the near-term easing in favor of the 2026 “dot plot,” which predicts only one cut next year. That outlook looks increasingly fragile: Chair Powell open

Investors continued rotating into MBS as an alternative to increasingly expensive corporate debt, especially with tech firms gearing up for another wave of bond issuance to fund AI infrastructure. With investment-grade supply projected to top $800 billion in 2026, mortgage bonds look comparatively attractive, and analysts expect the sector to post its best returns in twenty years. These demand dynamics, combined with stable issuance, kept spreads firm even as global rate vola

Legal drama, economic uncertainty, shifting rate expectations, and nuanced capital market discussions, all playing out against a stagnant...

Trade drama, inflation signals, and Fed caution, oh my! All weighed heavily on the mortgage and housing sectors. President Trump extended...

The U.S. housing and mortgage landscape is showing increasing signs of strain amid economic headwinds, rising rates, and shifting policy....

Markets continue to anticipate at least one Federal Reserve rate cut by year-end, though a move at the July meeting now seems wholly...

This week in the mortgage industry was defined by a confluence of political speculation, shifting economic data, and renewed momentum in...