US Eases Sanctions On Venezuelan Oil Industry

Source: Reuters

The U.S. Treasury said recent depreciation in the South Korean won was not in line with the Asian country's strong economic fundamentals, in an assessment that was part of a semi-annual currency report.

"Depreciation pressures on the won were acute in the fourth quarter of 2024 as the central bank reduced its policy rate in November and amid the onset of domestic political instability," said the report released on Thursday. "The won depreciated further in late 2025, which was not in line with Korea's strong economic fundamentals."

The rare U.S. assessment on the dollar-won level came after South Korean authorities in December rolled out measures to bolster the currency as it slumped towards the psychologically important level of 1,500 per dollar.

The currency has been under pressure from domestic investors' purchase of overseas stocks and concerns about additional U.S. investment, which was part of a trade deal with President Donald Trump's administration.

The won closed at 1,434.0 per dollar on Thursday, bouncing in recent days after a joint response between Japan and the U.S. helped strengthen the yen.

In its latest semi-annual currency report, the Treasury said no major trading partner met all three criteria for enhanced analysis of currency practices during the last half of 2024 and the first six months of 2025. South Korea remained on a "monitoring list" meriting close attention, but was not accused of currency manipulation.

Source: Investing

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday that he anticipates Russia will follow through on an agreement for a week-long pause in attacks on Kyiv and other cities, a deal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump in response to winter weather.

Zelenskiy noted, however, that the coming days would serve as the real test of Moscow's commitment to the temporary halt in hostilities.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the media during a press conference in Vilnius, Lithuania, on January 25, 2026.

A Test of Moscow's Commitment

In a statement on the social media platform X, Zelenskiy confirmed that diplomatic teams had discussed the matter in the United Arab Emirates.

"We expect the agreements to be implemented," he wrote. "De-escalation steps contribute to real progress toward ending the war."

This cautious optimism suggests that while Ukraine welcomes the initiative, it remains wary of Russia's intentions and will be monitoring the situation closely.

Acknowledging Washington's Role

In his nightly video address, Zelenskiy specifically thanked Washington for its role in brokering the agreement, which he characterized as an effort to stop Russian strikes on Ukraine's critical energy infrastructure.

"Thanks to the American side for their efforts in ensuring a stop to strikes on energy (targets) at this time and let's hope that America succeeds in ensuring this," he stated.

Despite the diplomatic progress, Zelenskiy adopted a wait-and-see approach, concluding, "We shall see what the real situation is with our energy facilities and cities in the days and nights to come."

Source: AP

Source: Reuters

Donald Trump has a clear goal for the U.S. housing market: make it more affordable without letting home prices fall. His strategy hinges on lowering borrowing costs, specifically mortgage rates, while actively protecting the wealth of current homeowners.

However, economists question whether this approach can meaningfully tackle the housing affordability crisis, as it avoids addressing the core issue of high property values.

The Strategy: Target Mortgages, Shield Home Values

In a speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, former President Trump laid out his vision. He argued that increasing the housing supply to drive down prices would disrupt the market and erode the wealth homeowners have built, especially since values soared post-pandemic.

"I am very protective of people that already own a house," Trump said. "Because we have had such a good run, the house values have gone up tremendously, and these people have become wealthy."

Figure 1: Donald Trump outlining his economic vision at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he emphasized protecting existing homeowner wealth.

He framed lower interest rates as a solution that is "good for everybody." This signals a clear preference for one policy lever over another.

"This suggests that the administration sees lower mortgage rates as the preferred channel through which to improve affordability," noted Wells Fargo economists Charlie Dougherty and Ali Hajibeigi.

Yet, some experts argue that addressing high prices is unavoidable. "As a homeowner, I don't want to see the value of my property go down," said Shelton Weeks, an economics professor at Florida Gulf Coast University. "Ultimately, that bit of pain for other homeowners is the pathway to truly alleviating the housing affordability crisis."

The Risk of Fueling an Already Hot Market

Trump's proposals have consistently focused on reducing the cost of borrowing. Key initiatives include:

• Directing government-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase $200 billion in mortgage bonds to help lower rates.

• Floating the idea of creating 50-year mortgages to provide homebuyers with more financing options.

While lower mortgage rates make monthly payments cheaper, they also risk stimulating demand. Without a corresponding increase in the number of homes for sale, this could backfire.

"Unless new listings pick up substantially, the lack of supply is likely to drive up prices, offsetting much of the affordability gain from lower mortgage rates," wrote Ben Ayers, a senior economist at Nationwide.

The Wealth Effect and Consumer Spending

Protecting high home values has a direct impact on the broader economy. When homeowners feel wealthier due to rising property values, they tend to spend more—a phenomenon known as the "wealth effect."

"Because a home is often the largest source of family wealth, price swings can materially impact how people spend, save and borrow," the Dallas Federal Reserve explained in a recent report.

This housing wealth has been a key factor supporting strong consumer spending, which accounts for over two-thirds of U.S. economic activity. Data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis showed consumer spending rose 0.3% in both October and November. Trump's policy aims to keep this engine running.

"Affluent consumers continued to buoy spending with an extra boost from wealth effects," said Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG.

A Limited Approach to Housing Supply

While prioritizing rate reduction, Trump has proposed some measures to increase the housing supply available to typical buyers. An executive order aims to ban large institutional investors from purchasing homes, targeting Wall Street's growing stake in the residential market.

However, analysts believe this move may have a limited impact. According to Wells Fargo, institutional investors account for a relatively small 2.5% share of the market. Furthermore, the policy's wording suggests it may not be an absolute prohibition.

"The order only appears to erect hurdles for additional home sales to investors and does not look to be an outright ban," Wells Fargo economists wrote. "There is no mention of completely stopping new sales, or mandating the liquidation of existing portfolios."

Trump himself acknowledged the tension between affordability and property values. "Every time you make it more and more and more affordable for somebody to buy a house cheaply, you're actually hurting the value of those houses," he said. "And I don't want to do anything that's going to hurt the value of people that own a house."