Michael Thompson

This is according to Cotality.

While there are increases, they're in the lower priced segments of the market.

And that's a segment that's really being supported by first home buyer incentives and investor activity.

Cotality's national home value index rose 0.3% in April.

That is the

of course, just ahead of last year's rate-cutting cycle.

Now, Curtality's research director, Tim Lawless, said the housing market has been losing momentum since late last year as affordability and serviceability constraints have kicked in.

Now you've got rising interest rates, you've got tumbling consumer sentiment, you've got rising inflation again.

It's going to put even more pressure on the market.

It doesn't look great for homeowners.

And normally in this kind of situation, you would say, hey, at least it's good news if you're trying to get into the market, right?

But it's not even great there.

Okay.

Sean, it has been a very big 36 hours in global markets.

We had Brent Crude touch US$126 a barrel yesterday as investors grappled with the likelihood that the Strait of Hormuz is going to stay shut for quite some time, by the sounds of it.

The surge came after Axios

out of the US reported that President Donald Trump was set to receive new briefings on military options for action in Iran.

$126 US dollars a barrel.

That's a pretty big jump.

It's the highest price since the brief spike back in June of 2022.