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Based on average new for sale and rental listings July 2024 through June 2025. Number one trusted based on August 2025 proprietary survey among real estate professionals. Here's your midday brief for Tuesday, March 10th. I'm Alex Ocelev for The Wall Street Journal. U.S. home sales rose in February as buyers took advantage of a recent dip in mortgage rates.
The National Association of Realtors says existing home sales climbed 1.7 percent last month to a 4.09 million annual rate, beating economists' expectations. Mortgage rates below 6 percent boosted the market, but they've since ticked higher. That could hurt the chances of a rebound in the housing market.
News Corp, owner of the journal, operates Realtor.com under license from the National Association of Realtors. Defense Secretary Pete Hickseth said the U.S., quote, will not relent until Iran is defeated. In a press conference this morning, he also said that Iran is, quote, badly losing the war. He added that airstrikes today would be the most intense yet of the conflict.
Meanwhile, Iran's foreign minister said yesterday that negotiations with the U.S. were off the table. And oil prices continued to retreat after President Trump suggested that an end to the war with Iran is in sight. Brent Crude, the global benchmark, was trading below $90 a barrel this morning.
The CEO of Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia's national oil company, warned that a prolonged disruption of the Strait of Hormuz posed significant consequences for oil markets and the global economy, but that the oil company could restore production within days of the waterway reopening.
Heads up, an artificial intelligence tool helped us make this episode by creating summaries that were based on WSJ reporting and then reviewed and adapted by an editor. We'll have more coverage of the day's news on the WSJ's What's News podcast. You can add it to your playlist on your smart speaker or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
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