Mortgage applications wither in July 4th heat wave

Two-Story Manufactured Home by Champion Home Builders ILLINOIS – U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) spotlighted multiple housing innovations from the Midwest region during the sixth annual Innovative Housing Showcase, held September 22-24 on the National Mall. This year’s theme, “Made in America,” highlighted American ingenuity and innovative approaches to expanding housing affordability…

Foreclosure starts fell to their lowest levels since November as nationwide mortgage loan performance remained largely stable in May, despite pockets of concentrated weakness deepening early in 2026, according to ICE Mortgage Technology. That landed foreclosure starts, which eased to roughly 33,000, about 9% below April levels and 35% below May 2019, ICE reported. The…

The wheat complex was lower across all three exchanges at the Monday close. Chicago SRW futures were down 4 ½ to 10 ¼ cents on the day. KC HRW contracts closed the session with losses of 8 ¼ to 10 ¾ cents. MPLS spring wheat posted losses of 6 to 10 cents across the board…

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Masashi Nakamura, 29, who is running Nakamura Farm, a small Wagyu farm in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. His words have been edited for length and clarity. I was working at a meat processing facility in Tasmania when my interest in Wagyu began. It was 2024, and I…

Microsoft shares moved 8% higher in extended trading on Wednesday after the software maker disclosed strong fiscal fourth-quarter revenue and called for steady 2026 capital expenditures. Here’s how the company did relative to LSEG consensus: Earnings per share: $4.74 adjusted. That may not compare with the $4.24 adj. per share expected by LSEG Revenue: $90.01…

Portugal’s Debt Upgrade Highlights Dramatic PIIGS Comeback in Eurozone PIIGS Countries Defy Expectations Amid Eurozone Debt Shifts By Sara Rossi, Valentina Consiglio and Alessia Pe MILAN, Sept 10 (Reuters) – Fitch’s upgrade of Portugal’s debt last week, its second in a year, marked the latest promotion among the five euro zone countries labelled the PIIGS…