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Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
US home prices to rise 3.5% this year but tariffs will hinder new construction :Reuters poll
By Sarupya Ganguly BENGALURU (Reuters) - U.S. home prices will rise steadily over coming years on an expected further decline in mortgage rates, according to property experts in a Reuters survey who expressed a near-unanimous view President Donald Trump's tariffs would hinder affordable home construction. The same analysts had said three months ago that affordability and turnover in the market would improve, an upbeat outlook hinging on expectations the Federal Reserve will resume cutting interest rates after staying on the sidelines all year. That optimism has since been tempered with Congress passing a sweeping tax-cut and spending bill estimated to add roughly $3.3 trillion by 2034 to an already-enormous $36.2 trillion debt pile, according to nonpartisan think tank the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Long-term bond yields have spiked higher, limiting scope for a decline in mortgage rates. "Looking ahead through the rest of this year and into 2026, we don't expect mortgage rates to come down much — at least not through the third quarter of 2025 — so affordability will remain pressured," said James Egan, housing strategist at Morgan Stanley. U.S. home prices based on the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller composite index of 20 metropolitan areas are forecast to rise 3.5% each year through 2027, according to a May 19-June 3 Reuters survey of 27 property analysts. If realised, that would be the slowest pace of home price rises since 2011. Average home prices are more than 50% above where they were in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic. "The housing market remains in a cooler phase as sellers continue to adjust to looser conditions after the red-hot pandemic years," said Thomas Ryan, an economist at Capital Economics. Even with two more Fed interest rate cuts expected later this year according to rate futures, 30-year mortgage rates are only set to ease to an average 6.73% this year from 6.98% currently. They are forecast to fall to average 6.33% next year and 6.29% in 2027, survey medians showed, still over double some of the lowest rates of around 3% buyers took out during pandemic years that few are willing to relinquish. "If mortgage rates were to drop meaningfully — say by 50 to 100 basis points — we could see a surge in buying activity. But rates really need to come down first,' said Lawrence Yun, chief economist at the National Association of Realtors. TARIFFS TO LIMIT CONSTRUCTION OF AFFORDABLE HOMES Construction spending fell unexpectedly in April and has been constrained by a decline in outlays on single-family housing projects and a rising inventory of unsold homes. It faces additional challenges from Trump's tariffs, most respondents said. "While there's still a lot of uncertainty about what level of tariffs are ultimately going to be implemented, they're going to make it more expensive to build. You'll see either fewer homes built, smaller homes built, or a combination of both," said Morgan Stanley's Egan. Asked how U.S. tariffs on major trading partners announced earlier this year would affect affordable home construction, a near-90% majority, 21 of 24, said fewer homes would be built, including two who said far fewer. Three said there would be no impact. "President Trump's inflationary trade and immigration policies leave no clear path to the lower borrowing costs the housing market desperately needs," said Capital Economics' Ryan, who expects no more Fed rate cuts this year and mortgage rates near 7%. Only half of respondents, 12 of 24, said purchasing affordability for first-time homebuyers would improve over the coming year, down from 62% in a February poll. Existing home sales, which make up over 90% of total sales, were expected to remain around the current level of an annualized 4 million units next quarter and rise slightly to an average 4.1 million by year-end, well below a near-15 year high of 6.6 million in early 2021. (Other stories from the Q2 global Reuters housing poll) Sign in to access your portfolio
Time of India
3 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Seat matrix delay derails CET 2024 counselling across Karnataka
Karnataka Examinations Authority Departments consistently delay seat matrix approval. Full data is still missing, inevitably delaying the CET process –KEA Executive Director H Prasanna The delay in submission of seat matrix by engineering, medical, and nursing colleges to the(KEA) has raised serious concerns about the smooth conduct of the seat allotment process for CET 2024 aspirants. Despite the official deadline of May 23, over 650 institutions have failed to provide details of available seats, leading to fears of potential delays and confusion during the counselling phase. KEA had issued two reminders after the deadline, but many institutions continue to remain year, 3.11 lakh students appeared for the Common Entrance Test (CET), of which 2.75 lakh have qualified. The centralized allotment process depends on timely and accurate seat matrix data, without which the schedule could be severely per the seat matrix data received so far, only 85,259 out of the total 1,11,294 seats across various professional courses have been submitted to KEA. This shortfall is causing widespread anxiety among students and parents who fear delays in counselling may hinder deserving candidates from securing seats in their preferred official from KEA said that engineering accounts for the largest intake with 79,907 seats, but only 66,254 have been reported so far. Pharmacy colleges have submitted 2,826 out of 3,227 seats. In Food Science, 329 out of 365 seats have been reported. Nursing colleges have reported just 12,970 out of 24,642 seats, and Yoga institutions have submitted 283 out of 408 seats. Agriculture has fared slightly better, with 2,168 out of 2,302 seats reported. Veterinary Sciences stands out as the only discipline with 100% submission—316 seats reported in full—while Sericulture has reported only 55 out of 72 Executive Director H. Prasanna acknowledged the delay and pointed out that multiple departments are yet to submit their respective seat matrices. 'Every year, some departments delay approval. This year too, despite repeated appeals, we have not received complete data. This will inevitably affect the CET process,' he has a vast network of institutions—224 engineering colleges, 26 architecture colleges, 97 AYUSH institutions, 65 medical colleges, 38 dental colleges, 16 homeopathy colleges, 5 naturopathy colleges, 126 colleges, 38 Pharm D colleges, and 14 yoga education institutions. Each must submit caste-wise seat data to KEA to ensure a fair and efficient allotment urge all departments to submit seat matrix promptly to prevent student losses.
Fibre2Fashion
27-05-2025
- Business
- Fibre2Fashion
India's loom QCO faces industry pushback ahead of deadline
India is set to implement the Quality Control Order (QCO) for weaving machines (looms), their assemblies, sub-assemblies, components, and all types of embroidery machinery from August 28, 2025, following the expiry of a one-year gestation period. Just three months ahead of implementation, the Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI) has demanded the removal of the QCO. It is worth noting that a notification was issued on August 28, 2024, regarding the implementation of the QCO on textile and embroidery machines and their components. The government had provided a one-year period for the industry to make the necessary preparations. India plans to enforce QCO on weaving and embroidery machines from August 28, 2025. The SGCCI has urged the government to withdraw the QCO, citing heavy reliance on imported machinery and potential financial losses. SGCCI argues that the regulation could hinder the textile sector's growth and technological advancement, particularly as India targets a $350 billion market by 2030. Recently, SGCCI vice president Ashok Jirawala and former president Ashish Gujarati presented the matter in a meeting with India's Minister for Heavy Industries, H D Kumaraswamy, and joint secretary Vijay Mittal in New Delhi. They pleaded for the removal of the QCO. The meeting was convened by the Ministry of Heavy Industries and attended by various industry organisations. SGCCI has formally urged the central government to remove the QCO from textile machinery, citing concerns about its potential impact on the sector's growth and technological progress. SGCCI representatives argued that India's current textile market is valued at $165 billion and is projected to reach $350 billion by 2030. To achieve this target, the industry will need approximately 4.5 lakh high-speed weaving machines, requiring an estimated investment of $15 billion. As several of these machines are not manufactured in India, imports are essential. SGCCI also noted that embroidery technology evolves rapidly, with machinery often needing upgrades every two to three years. Since many advanced machines are not produced domestically, Indian entrepreneurs rely heavily on imports. They, therefore, emphasised the need to exclude embroidery machinery from QCO regulations. Gujarati told Fibre2Fashion , 'Such textile machinery imports are essential as several types of machines are not manufactured locally. We are heavily dependent on imported machines. A large number of textile units have opened Letters of Credit (LCs) and booked machines from abroad. If the QCO is not removed and comes into effect on August 28, 2025, the imported machinery will be held at ports, resulting in significant financial losses. Furthermore, banks may hesitate to finance such ventures, potentially slowing industrial growth.' Gujarati further informed that following the presentation, Kumaraswamy and the joint secretary of the ministry responded positively and assured that the concerns of the user industry would be considered. Fibre2Fashion News Desk (KUL)
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Figure Eight Federal wins award at ICEAA 2025
Figure Eight Federal Wins Award for Innovative Framework to Assess Risk and Deliver Value in Federal AI Investments WASHINGTON, May 16, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Figure Eight Federal (F8F), in partnership with the Training Data Project and Technomics, received the Best Paper award for the Management, Earned Value Management (EVM), Software, and Agile track at the 2025 International Cost Estimating and Analysis Association (ICEAA) Conference. Titled "Enabling Measurable Success in DoD AI Programs from Acquisition to Operations," the paper introduces a novel methodology for aligning acquisition strategy, risk, AI training data, and program oversight with mission outcomes. The research proposes integrating qualitative and quantitative risk scoring into AI program oversight, enabling real-time course correction, transparent accountability, and data-driven decision-making across acquisition lifecycles. Despite its central role, AI training data is too often approached as an artistic guesswork rather than a measurable, scientific discipline. Without a structured method for estimating how many labels are needed, or which labels are most valuable, agencies are left navigating complexity without a compass—contributing to wasted resources, brittle models, and stalled progress. "Without quantifiable quality in your AI training data, you introduce unquantifiable risk to your downstream models and program outcomes. The ability to optimize costs and deliver innovation for AI models requires an understanding of how each label will contribute to driving mission readiness," said Tim Klawa, Head of Product at Figure Eight Federal. The paper highlights the critical role of AI training data in the success or failure of AI programs. With a well-designed training data strategy that incorporates actionable metrics, organizations can identify performance issues early, make informed decisions about resource allocation, and save both time and cost. "We believe that responsible AI is AI that creates measurable value," said Dave Cook, CEO of The Training Data project. "By combining the unique knowledge and experience of our team, we've created a new way for organizations to measure and manage AI, quantify risk and value, and adopt AI in a mission-aligned and cost-effective way." The ICEAA award recognizes F8F's and its partners' contribution to advancing practical, evidence-based frameworks for managing AI investments. For media inquiries, access to the paper, or to schedule interviews, contact: info@ About Figure Eight Federal Figure Eight Federal (F8F), is a leading provider of data labeling technology dedicated to eliminating the ambiguity and uncertainty that often hinder traditional AI initiatives. By bringing precision and accountability to labeling campaigns, F8F focuses on accelerating AI innovation in the Federal sector. Backed by over 25 years of industry experience, F8F's data labeling technology has supported some of the most advanced AI models, where understanding the cost and value of each label has been critical to achieving mission success. Unlock the potential of defense and intelligence data at View source version on Contacts Media Contact:Brittany Bowen, BPR InternationalBrittanySabra@ 614.226.9542 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Cannes Film Festival Says ‘Non' to the Nude Dress
CANNES, France — The Cannes Film Festival appears to have drawn a red line for the red carpet. Organizers unveiled a new dress code Monday, with rules prohibiting nudity as well as oversize gowns and trains. More from WWD Cannes Film Festival Bans Naked Dressing and Voluminous Outfits From Red Carpets, New Dress Code Explained EXCLUSIVE: Angelina Jolie Named Godmother of Trophée Chopard Award in Cannes Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet Choose Schiaparelli and Tom Ford for Red Carpet Debut in Rome 'For decency reasons, nudity is prohibited on the red carpet, as well as in any other areas of the festival,' the festival wrote. The notice appeared on the website Sunday. 'Voluminous outfits, in particular those with a large train, that hinder the proper flow of traffic of guests and complicate seating in the theater are not permitted. The festival welcoming teams will be obligated to prohibit red carpet access to anyone not respecting these rules,' the statement read. This comes a year after security personnel had an on-camera altercation with Dominican actress Massiel Taveras as a guard urged her to move down the carpet quickly at 'The Count of Monte Christo' premiere. Taveras was wearing a gown with a train that was several feet long and printed with the face of Jesus Christ that took over much of the red carpet. Bella Hadid has championed nude looks on the Cannes red carpet, including a Schiaparelli scoop dress with a gold and rhinestone lung-shaped necklace in place of a top in 2021, and a body-hugging sheer dress from Saint Laurent last year. Models Natasha Poly, Irina Shayk and Heidi Klum have also worn barely there sheer or bandage-style looks, and model Leila Depina donned a chain dress over thong underwear in 2023. The film festival's new rule comes a decade after 'flatgate,' when a group of women were turned away from the premiere of Cate Blanchett's 'Carol' because they were not wearing high heels. Three years later, Kristen Stewart famously removed her heels on the red carpet and went barefoot up the stairs. 'There's definitely a distinct dress code, right?' Stewart said at the time. 'People get very upset if you don't wear heels or whatever. I feel like you can't ask people that any more — it's a given. If you're not asking guys to wear heels and a dress, you cannot ask me either.' The dress code has since been updated to allow for flats: it now reads 'elegant shoes and sandals with or without a heel (no sneakers).' The rules also ask for evening attire, but add that a 'little black dress' is sufficient. The festival also banned selfies on the red carpet in 2017, which has caused considerable interference by security guards who do not allow non-celebrities to linger on the red carpet. Best of WWD Celebrities Wearing Zara: From Melania Trump's Controversial Coat to Kate Middleton's Blazer Collection [PHOTOS] The Stories Behind Audrey Hepburn's Wedding Dresses and What Happened to the Gown That Never Made It Down the Aisle La La Anthony's Style Through the Years: Met Gala Looks, MTV Days and More Photos
