Real-time News

Federal Reserve's Barkin: Even if the Strait of Hormuz reopens, gas prices may take months to fall.

On May 22, it was reported that on May 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko held a joint nuclear forces exercise via video link. This marked the first time the Russian and Belarusian armies had conducted joint strategic and tactical nuclear forces exercises. During the exercise, Russian and Belarusian troops completed live-fire launches of the Yars intercontinental ballistic missile, the Zircon hypersonic missile, the Blue Spot submarine-launched ballistic missile, the Iskander-M ballistic missile, as well as air-launched cruise missiles and the Kinzhal missile. All missiles successfully hit their targets, verifying their intended performance. Putin stated that nuclear weapons are an extreme and special measure to guarantee the national security of both countries. He emphasized that the nuclear triad should continue to be a reliable guarantee of the sovereignty of the Union State of Russia and Belarus, maintaining nuclear balance and equilibrium at the global level. Putin also stated that Russia and Belarus do not intend to engage in an arms race but will continue to develop their strategic and tactical nuclear forces, maintaining the nuclear triad at a necessary and sufficient level.

May 22 – According to the Wall Street Journal, U.S. mortgage rates rose to their highest level since August of last year this week, undoubtedly bad news for homebuyers during what is typically the busiest time of year for real estate sales. Freddie Mac reported on Thursday that the average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 6.51% this week, up from 6.36% last week. Furthermore, rising homeowner's insurance and property tax costs in many areas are also deterring buyers. This year's increase in mortgage rates reverses the downward trend that began in the second half of 2025. Nevertheless, current mortgage rates are still lower than a year ago, and some buyers are taking advantage of the slow market. According to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association, mortgage applications fell last week compared to the previous week, but increased by 8% year-over-year.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that the Iranian Foreign Minister and the Austrian Foreign Minister held a telephone conversation on Thursday afternoon to discuss the latest diplomatic developments and issues related to bilateral relations, and exchanged views.

Federal Reserve Bank of Barkin: The persistence of inflationary shocks may challenge the textbook approach of “ignoring” them.

Federal Reserve's Barkin: The U.S. may be "somewhat immune" to oil price shocks.

Federal Reserve Bank of Barkin: Whether the Fed needs to raise interest rates depends on how businesses and consumers respond to the changing economic situation.

Federal Reserve Bank of Barkin: Consumers are “not satisfied” but continue to spend; businesses have so far managed productivity gains through natural attrition rather than layoffs.

Federal Reserve Bank of Barkin: Past policies of “ignoring” supply shocks have worked, but the future may face a more challenging environment and more frequent shocks.

US President Trump: The conflict with Iran will end soon.

US President Trump: We have excellent drone technology that can strike Iran.

The Central Bank of Egypt kept its benchmark interest rate unchanged.

US President Trump: We have destroyed 98% of Iran's missile capabilities.

The President of Belarus signed a law approving cooperation between the Belarusian and Russian governments in the fields of precious metals and gemstones and their products.

U.S. mortgage rates rose to 6.51%, the highest level since last August.

Microsoft (MSFT.O) has released a new version of Bing Image Search.

Market news: Microsoft (MSFT.O) has released a new version of Bing image search.