The Money Section | The struggle is real – why low unemployment rates may be bad news

͏Gas prices are going up, meanwhile the housing market is not making a lot of sense. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ [The Charlotte Observer](  October 12, 2022 • Issue #3 [The Money Section] This week, we’re talking about the reason gas prices are suddenly going up again, trying to make sense of what’s going on in the housing market, and looking at why low unemployment rates are actually bad news for investors.  Talk about a paradox! [Report]( Money; Getty Images While September saw the unemployment rate fall to 3.5% from 3.7% in August, this otherwise great news is not actually well received by investors. Why doesn’t the stock market like it when the labor market gets strong? [Read full story](  🤷 When good news is bad news. The strategies used by the Federal Reserve to cut down inflation, improve our economy, and avoid a recession are actually hurting stocks and investors. [This is why good economic news could be bad for the stock market right now.](  🎢 The dollar soars, but stocks are down. After an escalation of military action in Ukraine, investors are fleeing to the safe haven of the U.S. dollar, which rose 0.31% against its global peers. Stocks, however, will not fare so well in the upcoming Q4. [Here’s what the data from Wall Street can tell us about what to expect.](  Coming this fall: A confusing housing market [Fall]( Money; Shutterstock On the one hand, home prices seem to be going down from the 18% annual increase seen back in June. On the other, much higher mortgage rates (now at around 6.5% for a 30-year loan) are keeping buyers and sellers on the sidelines, waiting for a much-needed market reset. Will things improve or get worse as time goes on? [Read full story]( 🔑 Double the pain. The median down payment for home mortgages is currently at $66k, an uptick of 100% from the average in 2019. Read on to find out [why the typical down payment for a house has doubled in just 3 years.](  🏡 But there’s reason to be optimistic. With home inventories piling up due to higher-than-usual mortgage rates, home sellers are being forced to cut down asking prices. [Here are the 10 U.S. cities where home prices are dropping the most right now.](  Gas is creeping up… again [Gas]( Getty Images After consistent declines in gas prices from late June to late September, the average cost of regular gasoline is going back up due to supply issues in certain states. The U.S. average jumped 7 cents from last week, hitting $3.83 as of Wednesday. Will gas prices fall or keep rising? [Read full story](  🛢 This time, OPEC and local refineries are to blame. Crude oil production cuts by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, plus ongoing refinery issues in Ohio and California seem to be responsible for the recent spike in gas prices. [Here’s how high gas prices could go up.](  🚗 An insider’s take. In an interview for PBS News, Patrick de Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy (an app that helps you find the cheapest gas stations near you), explains why gas is soaring up and what we should expect in the near future. [This is what he had to say.](  Smart Money Move What if your student loan is not forgiven? [Student] [Student]Student loans have been in the news as of late with the White House planning to forgive up to $20,000 for qualifying federal borrowers. If you’re one of the thousands who may not qualify for federal student loan forgiveness due to your loans being held by a private lender, you should consider looking into refinancing your loan. This could mean a lower interest rate and the possibility of a lower monthly payment — potentially saving you thousands of dollars. Reportedly, most people’s credit score improves with age. If this is the case with your credit, you could get more favorable terms that will save you money. Click below to get the ball rolling today. [View the Best Student Loan Refinance Companies of 2022](  Stories we're reading this week - [Amazon’s Best Deals During the New Prime Early Access Sale]( - [Grand-mates: Generations Sharing a Special Bond (and Sometimes the Rent)]( - [Auto Loan Rates Are Rising — but There’s Still Some Good News for Car Shoppers]( - [Older Workers are Struggling with a New Disability: Long COVID]( - [Most U.S. CEOs Think a Recession (and Layoffs) Are on the Horizon]( - [Biden is trying to remake the gig worker economy]( The Money Section is written in partnership with Money Research Collective This email was sent to {EMAIL} because you are signed up to receive marketing emails from The Charlotte Observer. If you no longer wish to receive emails of this type, you may [unsubscribe]( or [update your email preferences](. We are unable to monitor replies to this email. Please [contact customer service]( if you have any questions or concerns. 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