Buying a home in spring 2023 means both higher interest rates and stiff competition.

The Wall Street Journal's Your Money Briefing podcast is breaking it all down,

in a special weekly series under contract. You're going to home buying.

New episodes drop each Friday. Follow Your Money Briefing everywhere you listen to podcasts.

American consumers have been saddled with high inflation and rising interest rates.

Now, turmoil in the banking sector could add another challenge.

So goes the consumer, so goes the economy. So if consumers really pull back,

we will see rising job losses in areas that serve those consumers.

And when there is more job losses, that leads to even more diminished economic activity.

And the major US stock indexes close higher ahead of Fed day. Plus, the leaders of China and Russia

play up their solidarity and deepen economic and political ties. It's Tuesday, March 21st.

I'm Ann Marie Fertoli for the Wall Street Journal. This is the PM edition of What's News,

the top headlines and business stories that moved the world today.

Let's start with markets. A rise in bank stocks lifted the broader market with all three major

US indexes ending the day with gains. Shares of first republic are still on a wild ride,

largely rebounding after dropping more than 47% in the previous session. We'll be keeping a close

eye on the markets tomorrow when the Federal Reserve announces its decision on rate hikes.

It's a tough decision as the Fed contends not only with inflation, but also with recent turmoil

in the banking sector. Meanwhile, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says the government could

step in to protect depositors at more banks if regulators see the risk of a run.

Speaking at a gathering of the American Bankers Association in Washington today,

Yellen tried to shore up confidence in the US banking sector after the collapse of Silicon Valley

...