The past few weeks have been interesting and have surfaced what we in the financial services industry call matters requiring attention, or MRAs. An MRA describes a practice that deviates from sound governance, internal controls and risk management principles. These matters that require attention have the potential to adversely affect the industry and increase the
More and more, home sellers are giving in to the mounting pressure on affordability posed by June’s rapid mortgage rate hike, according to a new report from Redfin, a technology-powered real estate brokerage. The median asking price of newly-listed homes for sale is down 1.5% from the all-time high it reached in the spring, and
People wait to visit a house for sale in Garden City, Nassau County, New York. Xinhua News Agency | Getty Images After rising steadily for three weeks, mortgage rates dipped slightly last week, prompting a small increase in refinance activity. Activity from homebuyers, however, pulled back further, leaving total mortgage demand basically flat from the
The Central African Republic (CAR) has launched its new government-backed Sango crypto hub initiative to foster the development of the local digital asset sector. The Sango project follows the CAR’s adoption of Bitcoin (BTC) as legal tender in April. The initiative aims to attract businesses and global crypto talent/enthusiasts, ramp up local BTC adoption and
The Puerto Rico Oversight Board again imposed the fiscal 2023 budget on the Puerto Rico’s central government. While the board had reached a consensus budget with the local legislature and Gov. Pedro Pierluisi in June 2021 for fiscal 2022, there was little cooperation with the board this year, said Board Member Antonio Medina. The Puerto
Sir Keir Starmer will on Monday signal that Labour is willing to fight Boris Johnson over his Brexit legacy at the next election, setting out a five-point plan to tackle the economic pain caused by Britain’s EU exit. In a big tactical shift, Starmer will use a speech to denounce the “mess” created by the
Municipals were stronger following along with, but underperforming U.S. Treasuries, which extended their rally and saw yields fall even further to start the second half of the year on continued recessionary fears. Equities ended in the black. Triple-A yields fell by four to seven basis points while USTs saw yields fall by up to 16
In this article WDC AMD The headquarters building of Micron Technology Inc. stands in Boise, Idaho, U.S. Matthew Staver | Bloomberg | Getty Images Check out the companies making headlines in midday trading. Micron Technology – Shares of the chipmaker fell about 6% after the company issued disappointing fiscal fourth-quarter guidance and said weakening consumer demand will
Crema Finance, a concentrated liquidity protocol over the Solana blockchain, announced the temporary suspension of its services owing to a successful exploit that has drained a substantial but undisclosed amount of funds. Soon after realizing the hack on its protocol, Crema Finance suspended the liquidity services to refrain the hacker from draining out its liquidity
A sprawling waterfront property in Naples, Florida has sold for $62 million, putting it in the record books as the most expensive home in the history of the city’s real estate transactions. Situated on 1.5 acres, the beachfront estate offers front-row seats to the Gulf of Mexico. Paul Arpin, of Premier Sotheby’s International Realty’s Broad
A pedestrian uses an umbrella to get some relief from the sun as she walks past a sign displaying the temperature on June 20, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. Ralph Freso | Getty Images Summer’s here, and it’s a hot one. Forecasts from the Farmers’ Almanac, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and The Weather Company
On Saturday, Ethereum transaction fees tapped a low not seen since November 2020 as the average network fee dropped to 0.0016 ether or $1.67 per transfer. Average fees on Saturday have been as low as 32 gwei or $0.69 per transfer as Ethereum gas fees have been steadily dropping since May 11, 2022. Ethereum Fees
A new fund dedicated to advancing social equity and led by an NBA veteran and a leading municipal firm is moving into New York State’s growing cannabis industry. Social Equity Impact Ventures, LLC, a premier minority-led investment team, will sponsor and manage the New York Social Equity Cannabis Investment Fund. This first-of-its-kind $200 million fund will be
Hackers with suspected links to China’s intelligence agencies were still advertising for new recruits to work on cyber espionage, even after the FBI indicted the perpetrators in an effort to disrupt their activities. Hainan Tengyuan, a Chinese technology company, was actively recruiting English language translators in March according to job adverts seen by the Financial
Analysts expect climate change, combined with the political realities of either addressing the effects of it or not, will have increasing impacts on municipal credit in the coming years. Droughts, fires, flooding, changed temperature patterns, reduced snow cover, and higher sea levels may all come from climate change and all have the potential to impact
Crypto exchange KuCoin found itself at the center of discussion when a sub-community of Crypto Twitter started warning investors about an incoming ban on funds withdrawal. KuCoin CEO, Johnny Lyu, was however quick to dismiss the unvetted rumors before they picked up steam. Prominent crypto figures on Twitter, including trader @KongBTC and blockchain investigator @otteroooo,
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. NYSE Investors are greeting the third quarter with greater trepidation about a recession, and that makes next Friday’s June jobs report a potentially bigger catalyst for markets than it might otherwise have been. The jobs report and Wednesday’s release of minutes from the Federal
Facing record-high year-over-year rates of inflation, the Fed has been trying to combat it with a series of rate hikes that many Americans haven’t seen in decades. Rising mortgage rates have certainly had an impact on housing markets in the United States, with the number of home sales nationally declining by 7.4%, from 636,507 home
A “For Sale” sign is seen outside a home in New York. Shannon Stapleton | Reuters A historic housing shortage – brought on by the one-two punch of slow construction and strong pandemic-induced demand – is finally starting to ease. Active listings for homes jumped 19% in June, the fastest annual pace since Realtor.com began
Susan Collins officially took office Friday as the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, making history in becoming the first Black woman to lead a regional Fed bank. Collins comes from the University of Michigan, where she worked for 15 years, serving most recently as provost and previously as dean of the Gerald