(Reuters) -Shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage giants under U.S. government control since 2008, surged to multi-year highs on Friday after federal agencies revealed a framework for their "orderly" release from conservatorship. The U.S. Treasury Department and the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) said on Thursday they had amended their agreements with the companies to help ensure that their eventual exit from conservatorship is not disruptive. Exiting conservatorship would mark a key milestone for Fannie and Freddie, which were created by the Congress to support the housing market by ensuring affordable mortgage financing, but crumbled after being severely bruised during the 2008 financial crisis.
Alcohol maker stocks see declines in wake of Surgeon General cancer advisory
Popular alcohol producers had a bumpy morning as investors reacted to an advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General about alcohol and cancer.
Bitcoin to hit $150,000 in 2025, ethereum to top $8,000, analysts say
The world's top two cryptocurrencies are poised for a breakout year in 2025.
Edith Yeung Sees Big Things to Come for Crypto in Hong Kong
A venture capitalist who was one of the first investors in Solana says building liquidity is now key to Hong Kong’s development as a crypto hub.
Fed policy may need to stay restrictive for longer due to inflation risk, Barkin says
BALTIMORE (Reuters) -The U.S. central bank's benchmark policy rate should stay restrictive until it is more certain that inflation is returning to its 2% target, Richmond Federal Reserve President Thomas Barkin said on Friday. "I think there is more upside risk than downside risk" to inflation, given the economy's continued strength and the possibility of renewed wage and other price pressures, Barkin told the Maryland Bankers Association in Baltimore. Though Barkin is not a voting member of the Fed's rate-setting committee this year, his comments reflect a developing debate inside the central bank about when to cut interest rates again and how to account for an increasingly uncertain economic environment as President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take power again later this month.
US regulator warned banks on crypto but did not order halt to business, documents show
A U.S. bank regulator told banks to pause dabbling directly in crypto in 2022 and 2023, but did not order them to stop providing banking services to crypto companies contrary to industry complaints of widespread "debanking," according to documents released on Friday. A judge ordered the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation to provide versions of supervisory "pause letters" it sent to unidentified banks after History Associates Incorporated, a research firm hired by crypto exchange Coinbase, sued the agency to release them. The FDIC first released the letters in December but was ordered by the judge to resubmit them with more "nuanced redactions."
Rezolve Ai Stock Jumps on Microsoft, Google Partnerships
Shares of Rezolve Ai are climbing for a second straight day after the company unveiled plans to deepen its partnerships with tech powers Microsoft and Google.