The Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae), a government-sponsored private lender, has agreed to buy mortgage loans in which buyers pledge their cryptocurrency holdings as collateral instead of making a cash down payment.
Category: TRENDS ON THE U.S. ECONOMIC FRONT – Mar 31 2026
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TRADERS ARE WATCHING TRUMP PLAY THE OIL MARKET
Oil traders have spotted a pattern in Donald Trump’s rhetorical behavior regarding the Iran War, the Financial Times reported.
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FERTILIZER PRICES “UNBEARABLE,” U.S. FARMERS COMPLAIN
The price U.S. farmers pay for fertilizer has jumped 40 percent because of the Iran War. A third or more of the world’s supplies of ammonia and urea, key ingredients in fertilizer, transit the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has shut down.
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U.S. IMPORT PRICES ROSE MORE THAN EXPECTED IN FEBRUARY
In February, the price of goods shipped into the U.S. rose 1.3 percent from March, the largest one-month gain since March 2022. Prices rose as energy markets anticipated the new Middle East war, Reuters reported.
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U.S. MORTGAGE RATES REACH A SIX-MONTH HIGH
Last week, the U.S. national average interest rate on a 30-year, fixed rate mortgage rose to 6.38 percent, the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp. reported.
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IRAN WAR TORPEDOES U.S. HOUSING MARKET
On 27 February, the day before the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran, the U.S. national average interest rate on a 30-year, fixed-rate mortgage was 5.96 percent, according to Bankrate.
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MANUFACTURING FLATLINES, SERVICE SECTOR SLOWS IN MARCH
After contracting in February, U.S. manufacturing held steady at that lower level in March, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s monthly business survey.
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ENERGY SHOCK WILL PUSH U.S. INFLATION TO 4.2 PERCENT, OECD SAYS
The energy price surge set off by the Iran War will drive U.S. inflation to 4.2 percent this year, the highest among G7 nations, according to a projection by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
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U.S. CONSUMER GLOOM
The University of Michigan’s monthly survey of consumer sentiment in March found American households in a darker mood than in February.
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ODDS OF U.S. RECESSION APPROACH 50 PERCENT
The Iran war’s boost to fuel costs, the resulting expected rise in inflation, and an already weak jobs market have combined with general and geopolitical uncertainty to push the U.S. economy uncomfortably close to a recession.