It should sober everyone, that the number of applications for new mortgages or houses, is at the lowest level since 1996. Think about that, the lowest in 27 years. Now, what does that tell us? It tells us that the Federal Reserve approach, which is a demand side, punish the consumer, punish the American worker is beginning to work, because of course, it’s punishing people to a point in which they can’t afford to buy a house. Now, what’s the effect of that? Well means, first of all, if you’re a young person, your chances of buying a home just got a lot worse. To me. Second, if you’re somebody who has spent your lifetime paying off the mortgage on your house, and that was your plan for your retirement, the value of that house just dropped, because people can’t afford to buy it. There is a direct relationship between the price of mortgages and the price of houses, the more expensive the mortgage, the less you can afford to buy as a house, the cheaper the mortgage, the more you can afford to pay for the house. And so the Federal Reserve has followed a demand side approach to punishing demand by raising interest again, and again. And again, because they’re terrified of inflation. They haven’t defeated it. And frankly, the way they’re going right now, they’re not going to defeat it, because they’re driving down supply, at a rate faster than the supply of money. So the price of gasoline is going back up, the price of food continues to go up. President Biden already has the worst presidential inflation rate since Jimmy Carter, no president since World War Two, except Carter has had a worse record on inflation than Joe Biden. And it’s going to continue to be bad. And the Federal Reserve’s answer to that is to punish the American people, by making it so expensive. They can’t afford to buy anything. That of course, has a huge effect downstream. If you can’t afford to buy a house, that means nobody’s gonna go to Home Depot and buy anything for the house means nobody’s going to be manufacturing dishwashers, or refrigerators, or furniture, or carpets. So all the way down the line, there’s a ripple effect on housing gets sick, the whole economy starts to get sick. I think you have to watch carefully and be and really be cautious in the next year or two. Because the very approach they’re using is an approach which is guaranteed to hurt most Americans. And they’ll tell us, the medicines good for us. Frankly, I think we need a lot better approach, a supply side approach that says, Let’s encourage jobs, let’s encourage production. Let’s mop up the inflation with more goods and services, not punish the American people. And let’s get government spending under control. So the government’s not pouring trillions of dollars of paper into the economy, which is now I believe, the largest single cause of the inflation we’re living through. The time to act is now the price of the mortgage. And the collapse of mortgage demand is a signal that we really need to change what we’re doing and get serious about getting a healthy American economy back
Commentary
Our commentary partners will help you reach your own conclusions on complex topics.
‘Instill optimism’: Americans on how future generations can succeed
Friday Dr. Frank Luntz‘Have a little compassion’: Americans talk high holiday prices, anxiety
Dec 11 Dr. Frank Luntz‘System is rigged’: Black Americans on the American Dream
Nov 27 Dr. Frank Luntz‘Extremist’ or ‘phony’: Americans share who they voted for and why
Nov 21 Dr. Frank LuntzHigh housing mortgage costs are a risk to whole economy
By Straight Arrow News
The rising cost of housing has invited criticism and ideas from across the political spectrum but is still considered one of the most challenging issues to solve despite bipartisan concern. Average rates for a fixed 30-year mortgage have more than doubled since Jan. 1, 2022.
Straight Arrow News contributor Newt Gingrich warns readers that the housing affordability crisis, coupled with current Federal Reserve policy, present a clear danger to the entire American economy and creates risks for all Americans whether or not they own a home.
It should sober everyone that the number of applications for new mortgages for houses is at the lowest level since 1996. Think about that…the lowest in 27 years.
Now, what does that tell us? It tells us that the Federal Reserve approach, which is a demand side, punish the consumer, punish the American worker … is beginning to work, because of course, it’s punishing people to a point at which they can’t afford to buy a house.
Now, what’s the effect of that? Well it means, first of all, if you’re a young person, your chances of buying a home just got a lot worse. Second, if you’re somebody who has spent your lifetime paying off the mortgage on your house, and that was your plan for your retirement, the value of that house just dropped, because people can’t afford to buy it.
It should sober everyone, that the number of applications for new mortgages or houses, is at the lowest level since 1996. Think about that, the lowest in 27 years. Now, what does that tell us? It tells us that the Federal Reserve approach, which is a demand side, punish the consumer, punish the American worker is beginning to work, because of course, it’s punishing people to a point in which they can’t afford to buy a house. Now, what’s the effect of that? Well means, first of all, if you’re a young person, your chances of buying a home just got a lot worse. To me. Second, if you’re somebody who has spent your lifetime paying off the mortgage on your house, and that was your plan for your retirement, the value of that house just dropped, because people can’t afford to buy it. There is a direct relationship between the price of mortgages and the price of houses, the more expensive the mortgage, the less you can afford to buy as a house, the cheaper the mortgage, the more you can afford to pay for the house. And so the Federal Reserve has followed a demand side approach to punishing demand by raising interest again, and again. And again, because they’re terrified of inflation. They haven’t defeated it. And frankly, the way they’re going right now, they’re not going to defeat it, because they’re driving down supply, at a rate faster than the supply of money. So the price of gasoline is going back up, the price of food continues to go up. President Biden already has the worst presidential inflation rate since Jimmy Carter, no president since World War Two, except Carter has had a worse record on inflation than Joe Biden. And it’s going to continue to be bad. And the Federal Reserve’s answer to that is to punish the American people, by making it so expensive. They can’t afford to buy anything. That of course, has a huge effect downstream. If you can’t afford to buy a house, that means nobody’s gonna go to Home Depot and buy anything for the house means nobody’s going to be manufacturing dishwashers, or refrigerators, or furniture, or carpets. So all the way down the line, there’s a ripple effect on housing gets sick, the whole economy starts to get sick. I think you have to watch carefully and be and really be cautious in the next year or two. Because the very approach they’re using is an approach which is guaranteed to hurt most Americans. And they’ll tell us, the medicines good for us. Frankly, I think we need a lot better approach, a supply side approach that says, Let’s encourage jobs, let’s encourage production. Let’s mop up the inflation with more goods and services, not punish the American people. And let’s get government spending under control. So the government’s not pouring trillions of dollars of paper into the economy, which is now I believe, the largest single cause of the inflation we’re living through. The time to act is now the price of the mortgage. And the collapse of mortgage demand is a signal that we really need to change what we’re doing and get serious about getting a healthy American economy back
The United States should stay out of Syria
Congress must invest in military, stay vigilant
Trump can nominate Patel, Hegseth, but will Senate confirm?
Thanksgiving 2024 brings new president and fresh opportunities
Trump poised to unleash transformative mandate
Underreported stories from each side
Scott Jennings: The biggest scandal in America is the cover-up of Biden’s condition
19 sources | 13% from the left Getty ImagesSinema reflects on criticism in exit interview: ‘Don’t give a s‑‑‑’
11 sources | 10% from the right Getty ImagesLatest Stories
Biden considers commuting death row: Report
Louisville police issue citation to homeless woman in labor
New book accuses Spotify of promoting fake artists
Andrew Cuomo sues for defamation after sexual harassment allegations
Driver kills at least two in Germany Christmas market attack
Popular Opinions
In addition to the facts, we believe it’s vital to hear perspectives from all sides of the political spectrum.
Time to say goodbye to DEI
Friday Star ParkerIt’s time to take failed capitalism out of Christmas
Friday Dr. Rashad RicheyMusk-Ramaswamy DOGE initiative overdue and full of challenges
Thursday John FortierTrump’s Mar-a-Lago interview is a preview of troubles ahead
Thursday Jordan Reid