#interest-rates

#interest-rates

The gap between the richest and poorest Americans is widening in what Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has called a " bifurcated economy," as the cost of living skyrockets from housing to food prices, but wages for most workers remain stagnant. Basically, high-income individuals are doing well, while lower-income consumers are struggling more and more. That situation has sparked discussions about whether we're in a so-called "K-shaped economy."

Mortgage rates are down despite the fed. I mean, Scott, you've got to work on this guy. He's got some real mental problems. There's something wrong with him. Be honest. I would love to fire his ass. He should be fired. Guy is grossly incompetent. And he should be sued for spending $4 billion to build a little building. I'm building a ballroom that's going to cost a tiny fraction of that and it's bigger than the whole thing put together.

Some Lowe's customers are spending on relatively affordable improvements to their homes, CEO Marvin Ellison said on the retailer's third-quarter earnings call on Wednesday. Such purchases include water heaters, kitchen sinks, and windows, executives said on the call. Sales in those areas have also benefited as Lowe's has digitized more of its sales process and added new product selections in some categories, executives said.

After a brief pause in September, home sales across Canada picked back up again in October, rejoining the trend in place since April,

I have a retirement lump sum, some of which I will spend and some of which I will invest or save.

Investors looking to put capital to work in this difficult-to-predict market certainly have plenty to consider right now. Whether we're talking about monetary policy (what the Federal Reserve will do with interest rates) fiscal or trade policy (largely set by congress and the White House) or other geopolitical concerns stemming from domestic or international shifts, there's a lot going on right now for investors to digest.

Following in the footsteps of David Solomon at Goldman Sachs and Jamie Dimon at JPMorgan, Ark Investments guru Cathie Wood recently warned of the potential for a reality check for the stock market after the massive Artificial Intelligence rally that has driven the major indices to all-time highs over the last three years. Of course, "Reality Check" is Wall Street word salad for a sell-off and a potential correction.

In the short term, risk appetite has strengthened thanks to recent progress in trade relations between the U.S. and Asian economies. President Donald Trump's visit to South Korea, and his expected meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his Asia tour, have helped ease concerns about potential tariff escalations. Markets are now hopeful that such a bilateral meeting could lay the groundwork for a large-scale investment package or a new trade agreement, thereby reducing the risk of prolonged trade frictions.