mortgage market

Australia's central bank is expected to resume lifting its key interest rate, with policymakers losing patience over persistent price pressures. Bloomberg reports the Reserve Bank of Australia is set to return to rate hikes after a pause, as inflation remains above target. Markets and economists are watching for confirmation at the next board meeting and what it signals for borrowing costs.

The Federal Reserve has raised interest rates, marking the first increase in years. The move is expected to push up borrowing costs for consumers on mortgages, loans and credit, while potentially increasing yields on high-interest savings accounts. Markets and households are watching closely for what the change signals about the direction of US monetary policy.

Mortgage rates in the United States have risen back to 7%, reviving questions about the direction of the housing market. The Wall Street Journal examines what higher borrowing costs mean for buyers, sellers and home prices. With affordability already stretched, analysts and homeowners are weighing whether rates will stay elevated or ease in the months ahead.

Markets and analysts widely expect the Reserve Bank of Australia to raise interest rates by 25 basis points at its September meeting, according to a Yahoo Finance Australia preview. Attention is focused on growing inflation risks, with the outcome seen as a key signal for Australian borrowers, mortgages and the broader economy.

Mortgage rates have been swinging sharply, leaving homebuyers and sellers uncertain about the direction of the housing market. Analysts are weighing whether rates will settle, climb further, or fall, and what that means for home prices, affordability, and sales activity in the months ahead.

The Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to lift the cash rate to 4.6%, which would make it the highest level since 2011. The anticipated hike points to continued efforts to curb inflation, and would add to cost-of-living pressures for Australian households and businesses with mortgages and loans.

The US Federal Reserve has decided to keep interest rates unchanged even as inflation reaches its highest level in three years. The decision means borrowing costs will stay where they are for now, with policymakers weighing stubborn price pressures against signs of strain in the economy. Markets and economists are watching closely for signals on when, or whether, the central bank might move rates again.

Fortune compares investing in the S&P 500 with buying a home, arguing that stocks have significantly outperformed the housing market as an investment. The piece speaks to would-be buyers weighing whether homeownership still makes financial sense amid high mortgage rates and home prices, suggesting putting money into equities instead could deliver better returns.

A study by South Korean public institutions finds that every 0.25 percentage point rise in the benchmark interest rate carries measurable consequences for the housing market. The research, reported by business media, comes amid ongoing debate over how further rate increases would affect mortgage costs, household finances and already weakened real estate demand.

Mortgage lending to buyers with small deposits has risen sharply, increasing 40% to £24.7 billion. The figure points to renewed availability of high loan-to-value mortgages, giving first-time buyers and other low-deposit borrowers more access to the housing market. Commentators are weighing what the jump means for affordability and house prices.

Housing market conditions are gradually shifting in favor of buyers, according to a Toledo Blade report, with more inventory and easing price pressures in some areas. Despite these changes, buyers are not yet feeling any real improvement, as affordability remains strained and expectations of price cuts have not fully materialized.

Indiana's housing market cooled in August, with home sales slowing and median prices declining even as mortgage rates stayed high. The figures point to affordability pressures keeping buyers on the sidelines, a pattern being watched across regional housing markets as elevated borrowing costs continue to weigh on transactions.

A $20 million real estate transaction in Forest Hills has taken the top spot in the latest ranking of highest-priced home sales. The deal leads a roundup of the area's most expensive residential transactions, highlighting continued strength in the luxury housing market despite broader concerns about high mortgage rates and housing affordability.