Stocks struggled to find direction yesterday with investors focused on US/China trade negotiations kicking off this week in Beijing.  If a deal isn’t worked out ahead of the March 1st deadline tariffs on Chinese goods will increase to 25%.
 
For the first time ever, consumer credit has risen above $4 trillion, the Federal Reserve said Thursday.  With low unemployment and steady income growth, consumers have been tapping into credit lines. Before any alarm bells are sounded though, it is important to note that overall consumer credit growth has been on a downward trend.
 
So far in 2019, the 30-year-fixed-rate mortgage has averaged 4.46%, down from the 4.54% average in 2018.  Mortgage rates track the bond market which has seen yields fall over concerns over a global growth slowdown.
 
With more seniors than ever aging in place and choosing not to sell the family home, an estimated 1.6 million fewer properties are now available in a market already experiencing a critical shortage, according to Freddie Mac.  That stay-put trend is crashing into the rising demand for housing from the huge millennial generation: fewer homes for sale will continue to put upward pressure on already overheated home prices.

With Northwest Quadrant Wealth Management I'm Tyler Simones