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Mortgage rates brush 7%, putting further strain on housing market

Home shoppers holding out for relief from rising mortgage rates may be in for a long wait. The weekly average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate home loan has been rising for months and this week climbed to just below 7% — its highest level in more than 19 months. The benchmark 30-year fixed ...

Stocks rally to their best day in six weeks

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market rallied to its best day in six weeks Thursday after falling oil prices and easing pressure from the bond market helped Wall Street reverse many of its moves from the prior day. The S&P 500 jumped 1.1% for just its second rise in the last nine days. The ...

Unemployment claims drop to 196K, lowest since mid-July

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of people applying for unemployment benefits dropped sharply last week, another sign that layoffs remain rare and most Americans enjoy job security. The Labor Department reported Thursday that jobless claims slid to 196,000, the fewest since mid-July and down ...

Fed hikes key rate for first time in three years, defying Trump

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rate Wednesday for the first time since 2023 in an effort to quell stubbornly high inflation, and the central bank signaled another rate hike could occur later this year. The quarter-point increase lifts the Fed’s key ...