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Mortgage rates push higher with no relief in sight: Freddie Mac

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Homebuyers are looking for ways to lower their costs as high mortgage rates persist. (iStock)

Mortgage rates pushed further into the 7% range as the Federal Reserve seems unlikely to reverse its restrictive policy stance anytime soon, according to Freddie Mac.

The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 7.22% for the week ending May 2, according to Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey. That’s an increase from the previous week when it averaged 7.17%. A year ago, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.39%. 

The average rate for a 15-year mortgage was 6.47%, up from 6.44% last week and up from  5.76% last year.

On Wednesday, the Fed announced it would maintain the federal funds rate at 5.25% to 5.5%, where rates have held steady since last July. Fed officials have said in past meetings that they anticipated rate cuts for 2024 but need more confidence that inflation is heading toward the 2% target rate. Fed Chair Jerome Powell reiterated this sentiment on Wednesday and said it would likely take longer for the central bank to gain this confidence when speaking with reporters.

The delay in rate cuts means mortgage rates will likely stay high longer. With no ease in sight, affordability will continue to be a challenge for homebuyers, who also contend with high home prices

“The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased for the fifth consecutive week as we enter the heart of Spring Homebuying Season,” Freddie Mac’s Chief Economist Sam Khater said. “On average, more than one-third of home sales for the entire year occur between March and June. With two months left of this historically busy period, potential homebuyers will likely not see relief from rising rates anytime soon.”

If you are ready to shop for the best rate on a new mortgage, consider visiting an online marketplace like Credible to compare rates and get preapproved with multiple lenders at once.

BUY A HOME IN THESE STATES TO GET STUDENT LOAN DEBT RELIEF

How higher rates are impacting housing

Homebuyers are looking for ways to lower their costs as high mortgage rates persist. Recently, there have been an increase in proptech solutions, down payment assistance and even rate buydowns, Percy.AI Founder and CEO Charles Williams said. 

“Homebuyers are looking to use whatever incentives they can score,” Williams said. “We expect some of these initiatives to remain even after rates start heading down meaningfully, which is unlikely this year.”

Buyers have also increasingly turned to adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) for a discount. Compared to more traditional mortgage products, ARMs offer lower initial interest rates before adjusting to higher rates in the future. 

“With affordability remaining a challenge, more prospective buyers are turning to adjustable-rate mortgages to lower their monthly payments in the short-term,” Bob Broeksmit, the Mortgage Bankers Association president and CEO, said. “The ARM share of applications last week reached 7.8% – the highest level this year.”

If you’re looking to become a homeowner, you could still find the best mortgage rates by shopping around. Visit Credible to compare your options without affecting your credit score.

HOMEOWNERS COULD SAVE TENS OF THOUSANDS IN DAMAGES BY USING SMART DEVICES

Home prices increase

Buyers waiting for relief from high home prices will have to wait longer. Home prices are now 6.4% above their level last year, up from the 6% increase registered in January, according to the latest S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller national home price index report.  

In fact, Fannie Mae readjusted its home price projection and forecasts upward, forecasting prices to increase 4.8% annually in 2024 and 1.5% in 2025.

“Buyers are mainly waiting to see if prices go down, too, to balance things out,” Williams said. “That is not likely to happen soon. So, buyers who can afford a home are buying, but only if they can outcompete in this crazy market.”

One way to use your home’s equity is through a cash-out refinance to help you pay down debt or fund home improvement projects. Visit Credible to find your personalized interest rate without affecting your credit score. 

THIS IS THE #1 CITY FOR FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYERS, AND OTHER HOT US HOUSING MARKETS

Have a finance-related question, but don’t know who to ask? Email The Credible Money Expert at [email protected] and your question might be answered by Credible in our Money Expert column.

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Warren Buffett says Greg Abel will make Berkshire Hathaway investing decisions when he’s gone

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Warren Buffett says Greg Abel will make Berkshire Hathaway investing decisions when he's gone

OMAHA, Nebraska — Warren Buffett said Saturday his designated successor Greg Abel will have the final say on Berkshire Hathaway’s investing decisions when the Oracle of Omaha is no longer at the helm.

“I would leave the capital allocation to Greg and he understands businesses extremely well,” Buffett told an arena full of shareholders at Berkshire’s annual meeting. “If you understand businesses, you’ll understand common stocks.”

Abel, 61, became known as Buffett’s heir apparent in 2021 after Charlie Munger inadvertently made the revelation at the shareholder meeting. Abel has been overseeing a major portion of Berkshire’s sprawling empire, including energy, railroad and retail.

Buffett offered the clearest insight into his succession plan to date after years of speculation about the exact roles of Berkshire’s top executives after the eventual transition. The investing icon, who’s turning 94 in August, said his decision is influenced by how much Berkshire’s assets have grown.

“I used to think differently about how that would be handled, but I think that responsibility should be that of the CEO and whatever that CEO decides may be helpful,” Buffett said. “The sums have grown so large at Berkshire, and we do not want to try and have 200 people around that are managing a billion each. It just doesn’t work.”

Berkshire’s cash pile ballooned to nearly $189 billion at the end of March, while its gigantic equity portfolio has stocks worth a whopping $362 billion based on current market prices.

“I think what you’re handling the sums that we will have, you’ve got to think very strategically about how to do very big things,” Buffett added. “I think the responsibility ought to be entirely with Greg.”

While Buffett has made clear that Abel would be taking over the CEO job, there were still questions about who would control the Berkshire public stock portfolio, where Buffett has garnered a huge following by racking up huge returns through investments in the likes of Coca-Cola and Apple.

Berkshire investing managers, Todd Combs and Ted Weschler, both former hedge fund managers, have helped Buffett manage a small portion of the stock  portfolio (about 10%) for about the last decade. There was speculation that they may take over that portion of the Berkshire CEO role when he is no longer able.

But it seems, based on Buffett’s latest comments, that Abel will have final decisions on all capital allocation — including stock picks.

“I think the chief executive should be somebody that can weigh buying businesses, buying stocks, doing all kinds of things that might come up at a time when nobody else is willing to move,” Buffett said.

Abel is known for his strong expertise in the energy industry. Berkshire acquired MidAmerican Energy in 1999 and Abel became CEO of the company in 2008, six years before it was renamed Berkshire Hathaway Energy in 2014.

Correction: Berkshire’s equity portfolio is worth $362 billion. A previous version misstated the figure.

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‘We lost quite a bit of money’

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Warren Buffett walks the floor ahead of the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Shareholders Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska on May 3, 2024. 

David A. Grogen | CNBC

OMAHA, Neb. — Warren Buffett revealed that he dumped Berkshire Hathaway’s entire Paramount stake at a loss.

“I was 100% responsible for the Paramount decision,” Buffett said at Berkshire’s annual shareholder meeting. “It was 100% my decision, and we’ve sold it all and we lost quite a bit of money.”

Berkshire owned 63.3 million shares of Paramount as of the end of 2023, after cutting the position by about a third in the fourth quarter of last year, according to latest filings.

The Omaha-based conglomerate first bought a nonvoting stake in Paramount’s class B shares in the first quarter of 2022. Since then the media company has had a tough ride, experiencing a dividend cut, earnings miss and a CEO exit. The stock declined 44% in 2022 and another 12% in 2023.

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Paramount

Just this week, Sony Pictures and private equity firm Apollo Global Management sent a letter to the Paramount board expressing interest in acquiring the company for about $26 billion. The firm has also been having takeover talks with David Ellison’s Skydance Media.

Paramount has struggled in recent years, suffering from declining revenue as more consumers abandon traditional pay-TV, and as its streaming services continue to lose money. The stock is in the red again this year, down nearly 13%.

Buffett said the unfruitful Paramount bet made him think more deeply about what people prioritize in their leisure time. He previously said the streaming industry has too many players seeking viewer dollars, causing a stiff price war.

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Warren Buffett says Berkshire Hathaway is looking at an investment in Canada

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Warren Buffett: Don't feel uncomfortable in any way putting our money into Canada

OMAHA, Neb. — Warren Buffett said that Berkshire Hathaway is looking into an investment in Canada.

“We do not feel uncomfortable in any shape or form putting our money into Canada,” he told an arena full of investors Saturday. “In fact, we’re actually looking at one thing now.”

The billionaire investor has placed bets in the country in the past. He’s previously taken a roughly $300 million position in Home Capital Group that investors took as a vote of confidence in the troubled Canadian mortgage underwriter.

The “Oracle of Omaha” said during the annual shareholder meeting that he does not expect to make significant bets outside the U.S., saying his recent investments in Japanese trading houses were a compelling exception. But Buffett noted the similarity in operations between the Canada and the U.S.

“There’s a lot of countries we don’t understand at all,” Buffett said. “So, Canada, it’s terrific when you’ve got a major economy, not the size of the U.S., but a major economy that you feel confident about operating there.”

Warren Buffett walks the floor and meets with Berkshire Hathaway shareholders ahead of their annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska on May 3rd, 2024.

David A. Grogen | CNBC

Buffett did not reveal the specific company he’s looking at north of the border or whether it was public or private.

“Obviously, there aren’t as many big companies up there as there are in the United States,” Buffett said. “There are things we actually can do fairly well that Canada could benefit from Berkshire’s participation.”

Canada’s S&P/TSX Composite Index is up about 5% this year. The economy has large financial and commodity industries.

The Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting is exclusively broadcast on CNBC and livestreamed on CNBC.com.

More from Berkshire Hathaway’s Annual Meeting

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