Money, Wealth & Power—A Daily Look at the Financial World
Florida’s run as the top destination for Americans on the move is over. The U.S. Census Bureau’s Vintage 2025 population estimates show the state’s net domestic migration collapsed to 22,517 people between July 2024 and June 2025, down from 310,892 in 2022 and 183,646 in 2023. The drop, a 93 percent decline over three years,…
The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell to 6.01 percent this week, its lowest reading since September 2022, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey. The drop, from 6.09 percent just one week earlier and 6.85 percent a year ago, reflects a steady downward slide that has shaved nearly a full percentage point off borrowing…
President Donald Trump told his Cabinet on January 29, 2026, that he wants home prices to keep climbing, siding openly with existing homeowners over aspiring buyers he characterized as people who had not worked hard enough. The remarks set up a sharp tension at the center of his housing agenda: an administration that promises affordability…
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is trimming his sprawling $132 million Xanadu 2.0 compound in Medina, Washington, selling off an adjacent buffer home just days after pulling out of a high-profile keynote at India’s AI summit. The twin moves, a real estate divestiture and a sudden retreat from the global stage, land at a moment of…
The National Association of Realtors reported that pending home sales in the United States fell again in January, dropping 0.8% to an index reading of 70.9. The decline caught economists off guard and added to growing concern that the spring buying season, typically the strongest stretch of the year for residential real estate, may disappoint….
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development published a proposed rule on February 20, 2026, that would bar noncitizens from occupying federally subsidized housing, a move that could displace not only undocumented residents but also U.S. citizen family members who share their households. The proposal revives and expands a similar effort first floated during…
Young Americans trying to buy their first home are hitting a wall of rising costs, scarce inventory, and mortgage rates that remain stubbornly above six percent. The share of first-time buyers in the market has dropped to a record low, and the typical age of a new homeowner keeps climbing. For a generation that watched…
Wealthy buyers, including high-profile celebrities, are pushing property values sharply higher in mountain resort communities across Montana and Wyoming, and the ripple effects are landing squarely on long-time residents’ tax bills. County-level data from Montana shows median home values climbing steeply in amenity-rich areas, while assessor offices in places like Teton County, Wyoming, confirm that…
President Donald Trump told his Cabinet on January 29, 2026, that he does not want housing prices to fall because, in his view, falling prices would hurt the wealth of American homeowners. The statement reframes the national affordability debate: rather than promising cheaper homes, the administration is betting that lower mortgage rates and tighter restrictions…
Nelson Peltz’s Trian Fund Management raised its stake in Wendy’s to approximately 16.3%, declaring the stock undervalued and signaling it may pursue strategic transactions that could include a bid for control. The amended SEC filing landed the same day Wendy’s reported its weakest quarterly sales in years, and the combination sent shares surging roughly 19%….