John Lake's (johnlake2) Blog

Today’s economic data was a bit of a rollercoaster. We received the Producer Price Index (PPI) report for January, and the numbers came in higher than expected across the board: Headline PPI: Increased 0.5% month-over-month (vs. 0.3% expected). Core PPI: Increased 0.8% month-over-month (vs. 0.3% ...

Wow, what a week. It feels like 2025 all over again!The BLS jobs report was just released, and we’ve heard this tune before. In January 2025, the jobs report came in at double the expectations. Guess what happened with the January 2026 report? You guessed it—doubled expectations again.The data cl...

This news item piqued my interest. It involves China's role in the US economy. Specifically, the news that China is slowing its purchase of US Treasuries (US Debt) often sparks fear of a rate spike. So I did some research,The Reality of China's "Exit"China’s holdings of US Treasuries have fallen ...

As we move into the second week of February 2026, the Equities market has reached a significant psychological and financial milestone. For the first time, the Dow Jones has broken 50,000. We saw the market raise over 1,200 point Friday, while the Bond market and Mortgage Back Securities were flat...

I’m currently on a mission to help more people navigate this market—whether that’s first-time buyers or current homeowners looking to optimize their finances. With 30 years in the business, I’m focused on making sure a mortgage isn't just a loan, but a tool that fits your long-term goals. If you ...