Trump's latest plan to lower mortgage rates

Marketplace

American Public Media

News, Business

4.6 • 8K Ratings

🗓️ 15 January 2026

⏱️ 27 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

President Trump recently ordered government-backed mortgage companies (that’s Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) to buy up $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities. The last time they bought these bonds was the 2008 financial crisis. Will the move actually lower rates? Probably not much. Also in this episode: Venture capital can thank AI for a 2025 rebound, banks fight to block stablecoin interest yields, and more young people are getting prenups.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Chemical Elements 50, 79, 29, and 47, the economics thereof.
0:09.8	From American public media, this is Marketplace.
0:19.4	In Los Angeles, I'm Kyle Rizzdahl.
0:24.1	It is Thursday.
0:25.3	Today, this one is the 15th of January.
0:27.7	Good as always to have you along, everybody.
0:29.9	Our entry point into the economy today, this one and the global one comes by the commodities markets, metals in particular, which, and I believe this is, the technical Wall Street term,
0:41.9	have been ripping this year.
0:44.4	Gold, nickel, tin, and copper have all hit record highs the past couple of weeks.
0:48.5	Silver, just as a, for instance, is up 200% year over year.
0:53.8	That's happening in part because another particular asset isn't ripping.
1:00.5	The U.S. dollar and really all fiat currencies, but especially the U.S. dollar, seems to be getting debased at relatively high rates.
1:07.6	Stephen Gleason is the CEO of Money Metals Exchange. The dollar is down 7% over the past year. It has
1:14.6	been debased, in other words. That is actually a technical Wall Street term. So one reduces one's
1:20.6	exposure to those volatile U.S. dollars. How? Diversify into hard assets. Hard assets,
1:27.0	like real estate maybe, but more easily, gold, silver, also platinum.
1:32.3	It's really just stored value and one that is not susceptible to debasement like a government
1:39.2	issued or Federal Reserve issued currency is.
1:41.9	Hey, there's that word again. Debasement.
1:49.7	Juan Carlos Artigas is Global Head of Research, also regional CEO for the Americas for the World Gold Council.
1:51.3	It's not just the weakening dollar, though, also the broader political badgera.
1:55.8	I think that is a combination of so many things happening that creates uncertainty amongst investors.
	...

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