Investors Bet on Higher Rates as trade spat between U.S. and China could add to inflation pressures

By Chelsey Dulaney and Ben Eisen Investors are bracing for a period of consistently higher inflation, raising bets that the Federal Reserve will deliver a fourth interest-rate increase this year as an intensifying trade spat between the U.S. and China threatens to add to mounting price pressures.Federal-funds futures, which investors use to bet on central bank policy, on Thursday showed a roughly 60% chance that the Fed will raise rates at least four times this year, according to CME Group…

Your 5-step recipe for financial success

by Christy Bieber for The Motley Fool   @CNNMoney November 27, 2017: 10:07 AM ET   Search the question “what is financial success?” on the internet, and you’ll get millions of results with countless different answers. While some define financial success as having a few million in the bank, for others, financial success is as simple as being able to afford the roof over their heads or to send their kids to college without incurring tons of debt. While there…

Mortgage rates head lower ahead of big decisions from Fed, Congress

By Andrea Riquier Rates for home loans headed lower in the latest week as bond investors awaited certainty on big Washington policy initiatives. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.92% in the holiday-shortened November 22 week, mortgage provider Freddie Mac said Wednesday. That’s down three basis points compared to last week. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 3.32%, up one basis point. The 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage averaged 3.22%, up from 3.21%. Mortgage rates closely track bond yields, which have struggled…

Looking for a Newly Constructed Home? You Have Good Timing

By Clare Trapasso | Nov 27, 2017 After several years of a frenzied housing market characterized by many more home buyers than sellers, builders may finally be taking note. The number of newly constructed homes for sale and sold shot up 6.2% from September to October, according to the seasonally adjusted numbers in a joint report by the U.S. Census Bureau and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. They jumped 18.7% annually. (realtor.com® looked only at the seasonally adjusted numbers in the report. These have…