Fed Chair Yellen has a mini revolt on her hands

(RECAP: Fed Chair Janet Yellen has something of a mini revolt on her hands. Four of the 17 members of the Federal Open Market Committee have now publicly indicated their disagreement with the dovish guidance in last week’s policy statement and in comments from Fed Chair Yellen at her press conference. The latest dissenter is Patrick Harker, the new president of the Philadelphia Fed, who said in a speech Tuesday night that the Fed should “get on with” rate hikes and consider another go in April. Only one of the four dissenters is a voter this year, suggesting that Yellen has the votes she needs if she wants to keep rates unchanged at the April meeting.)

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Study: Millennials really want homes, but are waiting … for now

(RECAP: They’re graduating from college, starting new jobs, getting married and having kids. But one life goal that’s eluding a lot of Millennials is homeownership, according to a new NerdWallet analysis. It’s not that young people don’t want to own homes. In fact, most Millennials want to buy a home but haven’t yet done so because they reckon they can’t afford it, the analysis found. In other words, Millennials want the stability and freedom that homeownership affords, but they worry they won’t qualify for an affordable loan. In its analysis, personal finance website NerdWallet looked at a number of surveys and data from government agencies and Fannie Mae to examine commonly held beliefs about the decline in homeownership among younger first-time buyers.)

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The Impact of Green Affordable Housing

(RECAP: The subject of green building leads people to reckon of drowning in guidelines, checklists and expensive upgrades. The subject of affordable housing conjures thoughts of code compliant, cost conscious construction that allows for minimal enhancements of any kind. At face value, the two are seemingly incompatible thoughts. Southface’s Alex Trachtenberg and Sarah Hill, along with the Virginia Center for Housing and Research at Virginia Tech, are aiming to upend the notion that green building can’t also be affordable, especially for those who need it most. Southface and the Virginia Center for Housing and Research produced a report entitled “The Impact of Green Affordable Housing” in 2016.)

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