Author: Lending Agent

New homes being built in Englewood Cliffs, N.J. on Sept. 24th, 2024. Adam Jeffery | CNBCFrom lumber to drywall to appliances to finishings, much of what goes into a U.S. home comes from outside American borders. The cost of those products is about to go up, as President Donald Trump’s administration imposes tariffs on China, Mexico and Canada. Goods from China are now subject to a 20% tax, an increase from a previous 10% tax, and those from Canada and Mexico face a 25% tax. Canadian lumber was already subject to separate duties of 14.5%.The new tariffs could increase builder costs…

Dan Niles revealed on Tuesday that he is planning to buy some technology stocks that have underperformed the broader market this year. “They’re getting to levels where I’m probably going to force myself just based on the statistics to pick up some of the names I’ve been sort of waiting for on the tech side where I thought they were overvalued, and now they’ve kind of come back in as some of these fears get discounted in the market,” the founder of Niles Investment Management said on CNBC’s ” Money Movers .” The investor pointed to the performance of Apple…

Bernstein is taking a contrarian view on Nvidia stock even as other investors signal that valuations had grown for the broader artificial intelligence trade and as tariffs weigh on sentiment and depress prices. In fact, Bernstein managing director and senior analyst Stacy Rasgon argued that Nvidia’s valuation is a buying opportunity for investors, now that the stock is trading at roughly 25 times the next twelve months, or NTM, estimated earnings. Rasgon says that’s the lowest forward valuation level in a year for Nvidia and close to a 10-year low. “Worries that the AI trade is ‘over’ feel a little…

When Gina Williams moved into a Florida townhouse in late 2024, she became one of the tens of millions of Americans who count themselves as homeowners. Williams also joined a much smaller group: first-time buyers who have amassed more than $100,000 in down payment assistance. Williams landed a $95,000 loan through Palm Beach County and the Florida Housing Finance Corp., the state’s housing finance agency. She also received about $10,000 toward closing costs and the down payment from her lender, Third Federal Savings. “This totally changed my life,” says Williams, an administrative assistant and longtime renter. Down payment help hits…

Alvarez | E+ | Getty ImagesHome prices have been rising, and so have down payments.The median down payment among homebuyers in December was $63,188, according to a recent report by Redfin. That’s up 7.5%, or about $4,000, from a year prior.”That is mostly reflecting the fact that home prices have increased,” said Chen Zhao, an economist at Redfin.On top of high home prices, other issues homebuyers face include high inflation, volatile mortgage rates and limited savings balances.The typical homebuyer down payment was equal to about 16.3% of the purchase price in December, when the median home-sale price was $428,000, per…

Markets have been under significant pressure since February 19, with the tech sector leading the decline. The one-year daily chart of the Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) illustrates this pullback. Despite the current sell-off, we remain in a bull market, and it’s well known among market technicians that the 200-day moving average serves as a strong long-term support in such conditions. Notably, during the last two visits to this level, QQQ experienced sharp rebounds, and we are seeing similar price action again. With QQQ approaching the 200-day exponential, it could be setting up for another bounce. One effective way to identify…

U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent levies could eradicate the profits of “Big Three” automakers General Motors , Ford and Stellantis , according to Barclays. On Tuesday, the president’s 25% tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico took effect, along with an additional 10% tariff on goods from China. All three countries have since said they’ll impose retaliatory tariffs . “While it’s generally understood that a blanket 25% tariff on any vehicles or content from Mexico or Canada could be disruptive, it may be underappreciated how disruptive this could be,” analyst Dan Levy wrote in a Tuesday note. “In short,…

As the market grapples with rising uncertainty and volatility, now is the time to turn to cheap stocks with strong growth potential, according to Citi Research. After a volatile trading month plagued by softening economic data and President Donald Trump ‘s tariff promises, the major indexes ended February lower than where they started. Stocks fell further on Monday and Tuesday, compounding their losses from last month. Going forward, Citigroup equity strategist Drew Pettit thinks that the macroeconomic backdrop will still be a challenge, citing higher implied volatility on the Nasdaq-100 index and lower earnings expectations. “All else equal, lower prices…

While home price growth has been nearly flat in the U.S. this winter, prices are still expected to increase by 3.6% by January 2026, according to the March home price report from CoreLogic. January home prices were up 3.3% over a 12-month period, but the month-over-month price increase was virtually flat at 0.04%. The static prices, however, aren’t expected to last. CoreLogic expects prices to increase later in the year but emphasizes that price growth will be uneven and there will be “stark differences between regions.” The Northeast home prices in January have remained relatively strong, while the Mountain West…

President Donald Trump announced Monday that he will implement 25% tariffs on Mexican and Canadian imports, starting Tuesday. News services reported that the announcement sparked fears of a North American trade war that already showed signs of pushing up inflation and hindering growth. Trump also signed an executive order raising tariffs on imports from China to 20%, up from 10%. The Trump administration maintains that the tariffs are needed to force Canada and Mexico, the nation’s two largest trading partners, to do more to fight the trafficking of fentanyl and to stop illegal immigration. Trump said on Monday that the…