In leaving rates alone, the Fed hides behind solid labor market

The Federal Reserve didn’t raise or cut interest rates today, but the meeting highlighted something I have been emphasizing since 2022: the Fed is shaping its policy around the labor market more than inflation. Both times when mortgage rates fell without Fed rate cuts (in late 2022-early 2023 and in

LA area rental market under strain as fire victims look for housing

Victims displaced due to the Los Angeles wildfires are straining Southern California’s already tight real estate and rental markets, according to a report from Homes.com. The report, published on Wednesday, found that nearly all two-bedroom rentals from Santa Monica and Marina del Rey to Manhattan B

Where things currently stand in Trump’s confusing flurry of federal funding memos

The federal funding freeze has melted — or has it? The Trump administration circulated a new memo Wednesday morning that rescinds a previous memo released on Monday that put a sweeping funding freeze on federal grants and foreign aid.However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt tweeted late

No surprise: Fed holds rates steady

The Federal Reserve on Wednesday paused its recent string of interest rate cuts, holding benchmark rates steady at a range of 4.25% to 4.5%. The move was widely expected considering recent employment and inflation data showing that the U.S. economy continues to run hot.Market analysts were nearly un