#interest rates

#interest rates

There has not been a lot of growth in the HECM space, Mayer said. New originations have almost entirely been driven by what the 10-year rate is in the market. HECMs go up when the 10-year rate goes down, and HECMs go down when the 10-year rate goes up. I do think we're going to see some growth in the HECM space in 2026, but the bulk of it is in proprietary products.

In assessing our economy or, really, any economy, you want to know if the economy is growing, that there are enough jobs for people, that people can borrow at reasonable rates and that the dollar you hold today is worth about the same as it did a year ago. If those four metrics are solid, we are good. Using Pareto's 80/20 principle-the idea that 20% of any set of numbers constitutes 80% of the value of the entire set-we

But there is another more unconventional activity that can be hugely popular: searching for a new home. Known as the Boxing Day bounce', property websites often record bumper rises in online clicks. At Zoopla for example, Christmas Day is the lowest volume of visitors looking at homes for sale and this increases by nearly 70 per cent the following day. The growth in traffic then continues, reaching a peak three to four weeks later.

The Dow is down about 45 points, as the Nasdaq tacks on another 26 points. After yesterday's Micron-induced tech rally, Oracle ( NYSE: ORCL) is giving markets a boost. All on news TikTok agreed to sell its U.S. operations to a new joint venture that includes the oversold tech giant and private equity investors at Silver Lake. Shares of Oracle are up about $8.50 in premarket on the news.

Most respondents expect business to grow next year, with 84.5% forecasting increased activity. Brokers cited stronger referral networks (38.5%), expanded non-QM offerings (30.4%) and improvements in the borrower experience (11.7%) as the primary drivers of growth. Brokers said the biggest challenges in 2025 were external. About 67.8% pointed to broader economic and market conditions, while 43.5% cited rate volatility. Client acquisition challenges were noted by 31.4% of respondents. Internal or operational issues, such as tools or regulatory changes, were cited far less frequently.

XRP (CRYPTO:XRP) is one of the top-10 tokens I continue to pay very close attention to. Much of that has to do with this network's underlying technology, its overall business model, and the value the XRP Ledger provides in facilitating cross-border transactions like few other networks can. Indeed, much of the broader thesis around crypto adoption really stems from the ability for retail and institutional entities to transfer value across the globe in a very efficient and low-cost manner.

Dividend growth investing has always had an appeal to people who are looking to boost their income, find stability in another unstable market, and build long-term wealth. However, 2026 is shaping up to be something of a turning point as a breakout year for this growing investment philosophy. Between market conditions, earnings trends, and a shift in investor sentiment, 2026 is setting up to be an environment where companies that raise their dividends annually will take a step back into the limelight.

The core mistake is retiring without true readiness. Retiring with debt is the biggest issue that Ramsey encounters . "You can't have a $750 F-150 payment," he said. "You can't have a student loan that's been around so long you think it's a pet." If you want to retire, get rid of that debt, and it will be much smoother. Otherwise, that debt can dent your income significantly, especially if you let it compound or if that debt carries a floating rate.