The disappointing July jobs report fed fears of a U.S. downturn, spurring traders to sell. But economic fundamentals are still strong.

With prices and mortgage rates high, people are “buying at the edge of what they can qualify for,” a real estate economist says.

The Fed has a series of tools in its arsenal to influence interest rates, including the all-important federal funds rate.

According to Rogé Karma at The Atlantic, many economists believe high rates tamp down inflation largely by influencing people’s expectations.

Over the next week, six major banks will be reporting their earnings. Higher interest rates could affect both sides of their balance sheets.

The numbers are sending positive and negative signs, making the future of inflation, and the timing of Fed interest rate cuts, uncertain.

The latest Personal Consumption Expenditures index, or PCE, will be released Friday. Experts say there are other clues the Fed is looking for, too.

New home listings hit a 17-month high in February, and as more sellers sell, housing prices could flatten, says Conor Sen at Bloomberg Opinion.

Some builders are starting to see more interest from buyers, including those who spent 2023 on the sidelines, waiting for better rates.

We jumped into the Marketplace time machine to ask some experts how things look from next December.