The markets made a strong end of week surge, but overall took a little breather from the previous week’s record highs. Signs of firmer U.S. growth in increased nonfarm payrolls and ISM manufacturing brought back the “good news is bad news” theme relating to the Fed not hurrying to lower interest rates.

You know all about the benefits of buying a house – how it helps you build wealth through equity, how you can potentially save money on a mortgage via expensive rent, how it becomes a home and a safe and secure place to live your life to the fullest.

U.S. stock markets ended the first quarter on a high note as the S&P 500 marked a new record close in last-week’s uneventful holiday shortened trading. In fact, the S&P 500 has gotten off to its best calendar year start since 2019 with a total return of 10.6% for the quarter including last week’s 0.4% gain.

If you’re hunting for a house, you’ve likely had realtors encouraging you to become pre-qualified or seen blog articles highlighting pre-approval as a vital step in purchasing a home.

The S&P 500 marked its best weekly performance of 2024, snapping a two-week losing streak in the process. The upward bias was rekindled after the Federal Reserve's updated dot plot stuck to three interest rate cuts this year. Many market participants were fearing much worse, and Fed Chair Jerome Powell further calmed concerns with a relaxed attitude towards recent hot inflation reports. For the week, the S&P 500 advanced +2.3%, the Dow Jones Industrial Average added +2.0%, and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite climbed +2.9%.