Steven Mnuchin

After a weekend of market-rattling statements by President Donald Trump and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the beginning of a federal government shutdown, the S&P 500 ended an abbreviated Christmas Eve trading session in bear market territory. The index was down 2.71 percent at 2,351.10...

Investors expecting a quiet and stable trading session Monday ahead of Christmas are likely to be disappointed as stocks are reacting to a phone call between United States Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin and the CEOs of six big banks. What Happened Mnuchin held a phone call with the CEOs...

U.S. stocks got a big lift Monday after the G20 meeting over the weekend cleared up some major uncertainties for investors. The G20 produced some major developments on the trade war front, with the U.S. and China agreeing to a 90-day truce while a deal is negotiated. In addition, Russia and Saudi...

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached an agreement over the weekend not to introduce incremental tariffs after Jan. 1, 2019. The trade truce will remain in place for 90 days, during which time the two countries will work on a long-term agreement. If talks fail to...

Love him or hate him, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin may be the best and last hope for Federal National Mortgage Association (OTC: FNMA) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp (OTC: FMCC) investors. Mnuchin’s ability to assemble a “dream team” of cooperators as heads of Fannie Mae...

President Donald Trump announced his plan to crack down on foreign investments in American technology companies, but the president’s stance is not nearly as harsh as anticipated. What Happened The Senate approved changes to the way the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States...

The S&P 500 traded lower by more than 10 percent Wednesday morning as investors digest the latest developments in an ongoing Sino-American trade dispute.  Negotiations Sour On Wednesday morning, President Donald Trump expressed skepticism about a potential trade deal with China, tweeting...

U.S. and Chinese officials issued a joint statement over the weekend announcing vague negotiations to stall, if not entirely circumvent, a long-feared trade war. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin confirmed the Trump administration’s more amenable strategy. “We're putting the trade...

For the first time since 2012, Federal National Mortgage Association (OTC: FNMA) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp (OTC: FMCC) needed taxpayer bailout funds to cover quarterly losses. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac each reported large fourth-quarter losses after absorbing a one-time drop in the value...

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke to the Senate Banking Committee endorsing chairman Mike Crapo’s banking deregulation bill that would raise the systemically important financial institution asset threshold from $50 billion to $250 billion, reducing the number of institutions that would...

While most U.S. companies are hoping for an earnings boost from tax reform, Federal National Mortgage Association (OTC: FNMA) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp (OTC: FMCC) are simply hoping to survive. According to one analyst, reports on a newly-drafted Senate housing finance reform bill are...

Here’s one reason President Donald Trump hasn’t hit Venezuelan ruler Nicolas Maduro where it would hurt the most: banning the supplier of 10 percent of America’s oil would cause gas prices to skyrocket, further eroding the president’s popularity. Philip Verleger, an energy...

Federal Housing Finance Agency director Mel Watt testified in front of the Senate Banking Committee last week and said his top priority regarding Federal National Mortgage Association (OTC: FNMA) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp (OTC: FMCC) is to ensure that they're capitalized enough so...

On Thursday, director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency Mel Watt reportedly testified in front of the Senate Banking Committee calling for Federal National Mortgage Association (OTC: FNMA) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Association (OTC: FMCC) to begin retaining their earnings rather than...

Federal National Mortgage Association (OTC: FNMA) and Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corp (OTC: FMCC) investors suffered yet another disappointment Monday when Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin clearly stated he never said Fannie and Freddie would be privatized, news that sent shared of the government-...