Asks for overall thoughts on government involvement with oil companies and Venezuela housing, and market volatility.
speaker1
Rebecca Patterson
Market volatility from sudden policy announcements will be a feature for the next three years.
Rebecca Patterson
Housing affordability is a key election issue; bipartisan bills may pass this year to increase supply, but real impact takes years and requires lower mortgage rates.
Rebecca Patterson
Connects affordability to rising electricity prices and questions US government spending to rebuild Venezuela's power grid while domestic needs are unmet.
Notes that investment in Venezuela will be led by oil companies, not government spending, and will take years due to poor infrastructure.
speaker1
Rebecca Patterson
Lower oil prices help consumer affordability but there's a producer sweet spot; too low prices make drilling unprofitable and deter investment in places like Venezuela.
Rebecca Patterson
Fixing affordability is a multi-pronged, long-term policy challenge that won't be solved by the midterm elections.
Rebecca Patterson
Recent job market data shows improvement or at least a slowing deterioration, which gives the Fed comfort to pause in January.
Rebecca Patterson
Consensus bullish narrative: potential pickup in growth early this year due to tax refunds, Fed cuts feeding through, and stable job market, benefiting consumer-related companies.