Traders now see less than a 30 percent chance of even 1 rate hike at any Federal Reserve meeting this year, according to data from the CME Group. The CME’s FedWatch tool showed markets assigning no higher than a 28 percent chance of a hike at any meeting this year, and just a 31 percent chance of a hike at 2017’s first meeting. When it raised interest rates in December 2015, the Fed’s 2016 projections suggested central bankers were anticipating four rate hikes this year. But New York Fed president Bill Dudley warned Wednesday that financial conditions have tightened since…
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With a new Insider beta build of Windows 10 Mobile that was released on Friday, Microsoft’s recent phones have now caught up to Windows 10 desktop PCs. Build 14267 for the Fast ring of the Windows 10 Mobile Insider program is the same buildMicrosoft released to its desktop Insider program on Thursday, and the two share many of the same features. The key addition is a button on Cortana that allows Microsoft’s digital assistant to listen for ambient music and identify it. The Insider builds aren’t necessary to download if you just want to enjoy Windows 10 on a desktop…
Who knew? The Federal Reserve raised its funds rate barely two months ago, and all that worry about higher interest rates for mortgage borrowers ended up being positively unwarranted. The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage began a free fall, reacting to financial markets overseas rather than monetary policy here at home. “Mortgage rates are going down again, and it’s good for borrowers, but is it really good for the housing market and the broader economy? The answer is no,” said Guy Cecala, CEO and publisher of Inside Mortgage Finance. Mortgage rates are falling because investors are flooding…
Microsoft disappointed many Windows users when it announced in January that it was yanking support early for Skylake PCs running older versions of Windows, includingWindows 7. But recent news might give those users some hope: Microsoft’s not applying those rules to Windows Server—meaning frustrated consumers might have some common ground with server admins. Microsoft issued its updated guidance for older versions of Windows Embedded andWindows Server on Friday. Neither operating system is typically used by consumers;WIndows Server powers server farms costing millions of dollars, while WindowsEmbedded runs on ATMs and the arrival/departure boards at airports. But what’s interesting is that,…
The start of the spring housing market is days away, but anyone pounding the pavement or putting up the for sale sign knows there is not a lot out there. Great for sellers, not so much for buyers. What about vacant homes? These may be the best bargains available. Sure, they’ll need some loving care in a lot of cases [“source -cncb”]
Donald Trump has called for a boycott of Apple products over the company’s refusal to help the FBI break into an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino mass shooters. ”What I think you ought to do is boycott Apple until such time as they give that security number,” the Republican presidential candidate said Friday during a campaign rally in South Carolina. ”How do you like that? I just thought of it. Boycott Apple!” It’s not the first time he’s waded into the debate. “To think that Apple won’t allow us to get into [the] cell phone,” Trump said…
A sharp drop in interest rates prompted more homeowners to refinance their mortgages last week, especially those with large loans, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday. Total mortgage application volume increased 9.3 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from the previous week. Interest rate-dependent refinances were almost entirely behind the gains. Scott Mlyn | CNBC A man exits a Citibank branch with window advertising for mortgages, in New York. Applications to refinance a home loan rose 16 percent from the previous week, seasonally adjusted, while those to purchase a home rose just 0.2 percent for the week. Purchase applications are…
In concept, it sounds useful: a Microsoft Garage app that promises to smooth, or “beautify,” your handwriting when you take notes on a Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 tablet, such as the Microsoft Surface. Unfortunately, Plumbago’s smoothing feature doesn’t seem to work, yet. Think of Plumbago as a stripped-down version of OneNote, with an emphasis on easy doodling and adding art. (Mary Jo Foley made the analogy that Plumbago is to OneNote as Sway is to Word, which isn’t far off.) In execution, Plumbago is pretty simple: You can configure a “notebook” of up to 25 pages, with custom backgrounds…
The London home of one of Britain’s best-known prime ministers is on the market for £30 million ($43.5 million). Located in one of London’s premier neighborhoods, No.73 Chester Square is a Grade II listed, meaning it is judged to be of “special interest” to the nation, six-bedroom town house with a library, media room, bar, 500-bottle wine cellar and gym. Savills The former prime minister, Margaret Thatcher, lived at the white stucco-fronted house from 1991 until her death of a stroke aged 87 in 2013. The original part of the house was built between 1820 and 1840 and is on…
I’ve been deliberately avoiding XCOM 2 on account of it being pretty broken on my machine, but…well, someone modded Arnold Schwarzenegger into the game and now I think I’ve got weekend plans. More details on that and other news—Fallout DLC, Master of Orion’s love affair with Star Trek, and more—below. This is gaming news for February 15 – 19. Mayor for a day Looking for something to play this weekend? The excellent city-builder Cities: Skylines is free to play on Steam from now until Sunday at 1 p.m. Pacific. As per usual, take a look in your Steam library for…