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Visionary Voices
What’s Really Driving Inflation Right Now?
Four categories drove nearly all of July’s core PCE inflation increase, with portfolio management alone accounting for about half of the monthly rise.
Highway insights
Visionary Voices
This in-depth analysis by our team of experts on crucial topics like inflation, the Fed and economic data will help you address your clients' biggest questions and concerns.
Visionary Voices
The Right Strategy Beats the Lowest Rate
A competitive mortgage rate matters, but choosing the right financing strategy can have an even bigger impact on your long-term financial success.
Visionary Voices
The Supply-Demand Story Homebuyers Should Know
As new home construction slows and inventory remains tight, buyers may have a window of opportunity before increased demand returns to the market.
Visionary Voices
The Power of Leverage in Homebuying
A surprising gap in perception is causing many people to overlook one of homeownership’s most powerful wealth-building advantages: leverage.
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Visionary Voices
The Wealth Building Power of Homeownership
Even amid market uncertainty, buying a home now can boost long-term wealth: home prices are projected to rise about 4.4% over the next year, and purchasing early – by age 30 – can lead to a 22.5% higher net worth by age 50.
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Visionary Voices
The Cost of Waiting for Lower Rates
Many buyers are delaying their home purchase, hoping mortgage rates will come down. That sounds logical, but waiting could cost you more than you expect.
Visionary Voices
Pivotal Week for the Fed
A busy week at the Federal Reserve featured President Trump’s plan to nominate Kevin Warsh as the next Fed chair and a divided decision to hold interest rates steady.
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Visionary Voices
The Fed’s Dovish Shift in 2026
The Fed cut rates again, but a divided committee shows inflation and a slowing job market are pulling policy in different directions. What’s next in 2026?
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Visionary Voices
Will Labor Softness Prompt a December Rate Cut?
The Fed delivered a second straight rate cut in October, but uncertainty around December’s policy decision is growing as officials weigh persistent inflation against mounting signs of labor-market weakness.
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Visionary Voices
Shutdown Stalls Data, Hinders Housing Activity
The ongoing government shutdown is directly impacting the housing market and delaying crucial economic data the Federal Reserve was counting on ahead of its next policy meeting on October 29. Here’s what’s being affected, and why it matters.
Visionary Voices
Do Fed Rate Cuts Cause Longer-Term Rates to Rise?
Recent headlines stress that mortgage rates rose after the Fed cut - but the reality is more complex and often misunderstood. In this deep dive, Barry Habib explains why markets often move before the Fed acts, and what truly drives interest rates.
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Visionary Voices
Cooling Job Market Fuels Fed Pivot
Here’s a breakdown of the latest labor and inflation numbers – and what they could mean for the Fed’s next rate decision on September 17.
Visionary Voices
Creating Wealth Through Real Estate
Real estate often gets a bad rap in the media – especially when interest rates are higher, affordability is stretched, or home prices aren't climbing as quickly. But despite the headlines, real estate has consistently proven to be one of the most powerful tools for building long-term wealth.
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Visionary Voices
What to Know Ahead of the Fed’s Next Rate Decision
As Chair Jerome Powell signals a possible rate cut ahead of the crucial September 17 meeting, it's worth understanding who at the Fed actually makes those interest rate decisions – and how their views shape policy.
Visionary Voices
Barry Habib Joins Fannie Mae Board of Directors
MBS Highway is proud to announce a significant milestone for both our company and our Founder and CEO, Barry Habib.
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Visionary Voices
What the One Big Beautiful Bill Act Means for Real Estate and You
You might disagree with some of the provisions, or question its fiscal prudence, but President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) is now a law. As such, it’s important to understand the implications for homeowners and real estate professionals.
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Visionary Voices
Rate Cut Clues in Labor Data
The latest job market data presents a mixed picture. Here are key takeaways on job numbers, openings, and unemployment, and what they might signal for potential Fed rate cuts this year.
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Visionary Voices
Will Inflation Reach the Fed’s 2% Target?
Reaching the Fed's 2% Core PCE goal may be challenging in the near term, potentially until early 2026, because of upcoming low replacement figures. What does this mean for Fed rate cuts this year?
Visionary Voices
Clear Signs of a Slowing Labor Sector
The most recent jobs data indicates a noticeable slowdown in the labor market, prompting a closer look as we approach the Federal Reserve's meeting on June 18 and their monetary policy decision.
Visionary Voices
Why Now Is a Good Time to Buy a Home
The spring homebuying season has started slowly this year, with elevated mortgage rates, high home prices, and economic uncertainty making many wonder: Is now a good time to buy a home?
Visionary Voices
Student Loan Collections Resume May 5
The federal government has now restarted collecting defaulted student loan payments from millions of Americans – the first time since the pandemic began.
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Visionary Voices
Mounting Evidence of Anemic Economic Growth
After solid growth in 2024, the U.S. economy contracted by 0.3% in the first quarter, according to the advanced GDP report released by the Bureau of Economic Analysis. This confirms recent warning signs that economic momentum is fading.
Visionary Voices
Are U.S. Dollar Reserve Currency Fears Warranted?
Recent media stories have highlighted growing concerns about whether the U.S. dollar can remain the world’s reserve currency. Find out why reports of the dollar's demise are exaggerated.
Visionary Voices
Home Value Performance During and After Recessions
In this article, we'll define a recession and examine the historical effects on the housing sector during such economic downturns.
Visionary Voices
Barry Habib Honored with Fourth Crystal Ball Award
Pulsenomics, an independent research and index product development firm, has awarded Highway founder and CEO Barry Habib the prestigious 2024 Crystal Ball Award. The award recognizes Habib's exceptional accuracy in forecasting US home prices over a two-year period.
Visionary Voices
Will First Quarter Economic Growth Turn Negative?
The GDPNow estimate for first quarter economic growth has undergone a significant revision, dropping from +3.9% on February 3 to -2.8% on March 3, with a minor recovery to -2.4% by March 6.
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Visionary Voices
A note to President Trump from Barry Habib on Inflation Calculations
In this in-depth analysis shared with President Trump, Barry Habib explains why a simple change to a more real-time methodology would paint a completely different and more realistic picture on inflation and help prevent future miscalculations by the Fed.
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Visionary Voices
Real-time Rental Data a Good Sign for Inflation
Shelter costs significantly influence the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) inflation reports, playing a crucial role in determining whether inflation progresses towards the Fed’s 2% target.
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Visionary Voices
What's Ahead for New Fed Voting Members?
The Fed rotation is upon us, where four of the regional voting Fed presidents rotate out and four new presidents rotate in. The way they lean, hawkish or dovish, will influence how they vote for monetary policy and interest rates.
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Visionary Voices
Home Appreciation: Your Best Protection Against Inflation
The net worth of the average homeowner is now 42 times that of a renter. Learn why home appreciation is one of the best hedges against inflation.
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Visionary Voices
What Fed Rate Cuts Really Mean
Since the Fed cut rates 50 basis points on September 18, we've seen 30-year fixed mortgage rates rise meaningfully. How can this be?
Visionary Voices
Recent Data Gives Fed Something to Talk About
With a stronger than expected September Jobs report and hotter than expected inflation, the Fed certainly has a lot to think about since their last meeting on September 18.
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Visionary Voices
Demographics are Destiny: Why Home Values Will Rise Over Time
This deep analysis of current supply dynamics along with consumer demographics shows that home prices should be well supported into the future.
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Visionary Voices
Hey, Fed! Why Are You So Restrictive?
The labor market is much worse now than it was five years ago before the pandemic. So why is the Fed’s monetary policy so much more “restrictive” today?
Visionary Voices
Today’s Wealth Creation Opportunity in Housing
Being able to articulate the financial opportunity that exists in homeownership is more important than ever, especially as media misinformation continues to spread doom and gloom about the housing market – and crashing home prices.
Visionary Voices
Fed "Getting Closer" to Rate Cuts
After friendly inflation readings throughout the second quarter, more Fed members are signaling they are "getting closer" to cutting interest rates.
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Visionary Voices
Double Dose of Positive Inflation News
The Consumer and Producer Price Indexes showed cooler than expected inflation in May, which was another positive step in the right direction after the progress lower late last year stalled at the beginning of this year.
Visionary Voices
Signs Consumer Spending May Be Hitting a Wall
Consumer spending has been strong, buoyed by pandemic savings from stimulus and credit. But there are now signs that this support may be coming to an end.
Visionary Voices
The Opportunity in Homeownership
Find out what the latest home builder confidence and new construction data suggest about the opportunity in homeownership.
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Visionary Voices
Why Inflation Is Stuck in a Moment
Inflation has improved significantly after peaking in 2022, though the progress lower has been slowing. A key question remains: When will the Fed think inflation is low enough for them to start cutting the Fed Funds Rate later this year?
Visionary Voices
The Difference Between the Median Home Price and Appreciation
Many people are confused about what’s really happening with home prices here in the U.S. That's because there’s a difference between real appreciation and the metric that the media often discusses, which is the median home price.
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Visionary Voices
Was Holiday Season Spending Really Strong?
While last year's holiday shopping season appeared strong, a closer look at both credit card debt and Buy Now, Pay Later programs reveal important details about the resiliency of consumer spending.
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Visionary Voices
Fed Pivots, Signals Rate Cuts Are Ahead
This week's FOMC meeting brought an important pivot from the Fed, as they signaled rate cuts are ahead next year.
Visionary Voices
Jobs Report Breakdown: Back to Life, Back to Reality
October's Jobs Report finally reflects a more realistic view of what’s happening in the labor market. In this in-depth analysis, we look past the headlines so you can understand what the data really means.