Headline: Rates Steady, AI Resets Hiring, Crypto Outflows, and EU Chip Push
The week’s market signals point to a cooling but complex landscape for housing, labor, small business, and digital assets. Mortgage rates remain elevated, AI is changing hiring priorities, and small firms face a tough cost environment. Meanwhile, crypto funds see renewed outflows, utilities ramp spending for AI data centers, and Europe seeks fresh backing to stay competitive in semiconductors.
Mortgage rates are holding firm, with the 30-year fixed around 6.09% and the 15-year near 5.54%. Meaningful declines are not anticipated by the end of 2025, keeping affordability tight for homebuyers and refinancing subdued. In the labor market, AI adoption is reshaping entry-level recruitment, with roughly two-thirds of organizations slowing junior hiring and shifting toward skills-based screening over formal degrees. Expectations for new consumer stimulus are fading, as traders put the odds of fresh $2,000 checks at 1–2% amid legislative hurdles and deficit worries.
Small businesses continue to navigate a difficult cost mix: tariffs near 16.8%, borrowing costs above 10%, and a surge in healthcare expenses reported at around 120%. That uncertainty is weighing on hiring and investment plans. In digital assets, Bitcoin exchange-traded products saw outflows as prices slipped below $89.6K, with traders watching the four-year cycle after a $1 trillion pullback in total crypto market value. On the infrastructure front, AI data centers are fueling a wave of utility spending that could lead to higher electricity rates if new capacity overshoots demand. In Europe, the chip sector is seeking roughly €20 billion targeted at equipment and design, aiming to bolster AI-era competitiveness against the U.S. and Asia, not just add fabrication capacity.
Key Points: – Mortgage rates steady: 30-year fixed near 6.09%, 15-year around 5.54%, with limited relief expected through 2025. – AI adoption is slowing entry-level hiring at about two-thirds of organizations, shifting focus from degrees to skills. – Traders cut odds of $2,000 stimulus checks to 1–2% due to legislative and debt concerns. – Small businesses face 16.8% tariffs, 10%+ loan rates, and sharply higher healthcare costs, pressuring jobs and growth. – Bitcoin ETFs see outflows as prices dip below $89.6K; market watches the four-year cycle after a $1T crypto value drop. – AI data center demand drives utility spending; potential rate hikes loom if capacity exceeds need, while the EU seeks €20B for chip equipment and design.
