So...wut now?

[TDub]

Pro tip: Don't miss this opportunity to refinance your home loan if you've been considering it. Rates are really, really low. And that's not to mention 30 yr mortgage rates.

Thinking about it. Rates are ridiculously low. Figure itd take me 2-2 1/2 years to make up for repaying the closing costs. Deciding if Ill be here that long.

[Shirley]

Pro tip: Don't miss this opportunity to refinance your home loan if you've been considering it. Rates are really, really low. And that's not to mention 30 yr mortgage rates.

A refi usually only makes sense if you are on a long term note.
Otherwise, figure the cost of the refi...appraisals, inspections and fees-added charges to make sure it is really beneficial

Mortgage rates are at a record low—here are 3 questions to ask before you refinance

Mortgage rates hit a record low on Friday, March 6, when the average rate on a 30-year fixed mortgage hit 3.29%, according to Freddie Mac. The previous low was 3.31% in November 2012, on the heels of the financial crisis.

For nearly 13 million of borrowers — the highest number of candidates on record — refinancing could lower their current rates by 75 basis points, which could amount to thousands in savings over the life of the mortgage.

However, before you start shopping around for the best rates, it’s crucial to remember that refinancing isn’t free. In some cases, it could take a decade or more to recoup the upfront costs.

If you’re considering refinancing your home, your first step should be to figure out if it will actually save you money. Here are three questions to ask yourself before you refinance.

[...]

[jfish26]

Not sure it'll be possible to get a loan this week now.

[NewtonHawk11]

I work at a bank and we have set a floor for our mortgage rates. I suspect quite a few of other banks will do the same. They can't continue to drop their rates, or else their margins will go in the shitter. It's either they place a floor on rates, or you drop continuously and have investment rates (CDs, Money Market, etc) all be at 0%. That's not out of the question.

Crazy that the Dow is down 1,900 today already.

[jfish26]

I work at a bank and we have set a floor for our mortgage rates. I suspect quite a few of other banks will do the same. They can't continue to drop their rates, or else their margins will go in the shitter. It's either they place a floor on rates, or you drop continuously and have investment rates (CDs, Money Market, etc) all be at 0%. That's not out of the question.

Crazy that the Dow is down 1,900 today already.

I mean, it's not that crazy; the market is responding to the reality that the U.S. is simply incapable of taking up its usual role of effectively leading from the front, in messaging and in action.

This is an easily-foreseeable result of (1) gutting the executive branch of all but inexperienced, non-serious sycophants, and (2) Trump responding to the crisis by trying to protect his reelection chances, at the expense of sober and thoughtful preparation and response.

[seahawk]

^^^^^ This.

[TDub]

The thing is I think he is actually hurting his re-election chances. You cant blame trump for the virus. You CAN blame him for the response.

[jfish26]

The thing is I think he is actually hurting his re-election chances. You cant blame trump for the virus. You CAN blame him for the response.

Now, it most certainly is. People who shouldn't have will die. Others who themselves did nothing wrong will lose everything. And this will hit a sizable portion of Trump's base disproportionately hard.

You look at it from the outside and think, "How could he have botched this so badly?"

And the answer is that he is so uncurious and myopic, and he has, by his vanity and insecurity, surrounded himself with such little collective intellect and even less spine, that he really, really did think official lies about the inevitability of community spread was the way to go.

And it should not be overlooked - this was all a perfectly foreseeable consequence of telling him that it's fine to use the office for personal gain. People asked, "Why do we care about Ukraine?" Well - even if you thought that didn't matter, then here you are clearly seeing what happens when Trump has to choose between his own short-term interests and the medium- and long-term best interests of the country.

[ousdahl]

good discussion today.

the only thing is, how many Merican voters may be, or are, so uncurious and myopic as well.

Come November, the corona virus and this administration's response may not even be on anyone's minds any more.

[jfish26]

good discussion today.

the only thing is, how many Merican voters may be, or are, so uncurious and myopic as well.

Come November, the corona virus and this administration's response may not even be on anyone's minds any more.

A pandemic would affect the uncurious and the curious alike, as would a recession. And that would solve the myopic piece.

[HouseDivided]

good discussion today.

the only thing is, how many Merican voters may be, or are, so uncurious and myopic as well.

Come November, the corona virus and this administration's response may not even be on anyone's minds any more.

A pandemic would affect the uncurious and the curious alike, as would a recession. And that would solve the myopic piece.

History seems to show that, if the economy is tanking at the time of election, the incumbent is shown the door. I'm sure that scenario is being prayed for by many.

[Shirley]

Of course:

[jfish26]

good discussion today.

the only thing is, how many Merican voters may be, or are, so uncurious and myopic as well.

Come November, the corona virus and this administration's response may not even be on anyone's minds any more.

A pandemic would affect the uncurious and the curious alike, as would a recession. And that would solve the myopic piece.

History seems to show that, if the economy is tanking at the time of election, the incumbent is shown the door. I'm sure that scenario is being prayed for by many.

I'm definitely not praying for people to suffer, as the way to finally break the fever.

I do think that real-world suffering is what it might take to finally break the fever.

[TDub]

Please dont make people choose between bernie and trump. Cant think of two people that are less equipped to guide others through a potential recession and crisis type scenario.

[HouseDivided]

Please dont make people choose between bernie and trump. Cant think of two people that are less equipped to guide others through a potential recession and crisis type scenario.

The DNC won’t let Burnie win. They proved that in 2016. The only question in my mind is whether Biden is any different than DJT at the end of the day.

[jfish26]

Please dont make people choose between bernie and trump. Cant think of two people that are less equipped to guide others through a potential recession and crisis type scenario.

The DNC won’t let Burnie win. They proved that in 2016. The only question in my mind is whether Biden is any different than DJT at the end of the day.

I think this is one whale of a false equivalency; benign, generally-altruistic incompetence would be a massive improvement.

[Shirley]

Please dont make people choose between bernie and trump. Cant think of two people that are less equipped to guide others through a potential recession and crisis type scenario.

The DNC won’t let Burnie win. They proved that in 2016. The only question in my mind is whether Biden is any different than DJT at the end of the day.

I think this is one whale of a false equivalency; benign, generally-altruistic incompetence would be a massive improvement.

^^^

[zsn]

Please dont make people choose between bernie and trump. Cant think of two people that are less equipped to guide others through a potential recession and crisis type scenario.

I don't think the situation is as binary. I doubt that anyone (who is serious, and even somewhat objective) is expecting the POTUS to personally be responsible for responding to every crisis. However, the expectation is that the POTUS assemble a core of credible, competent people who take the problem seriously and come up with solutions independent of political repercussions/ramifications. Trump is one person who is clearly incapable of this - he is more worried about "perfect" optics rather than finding a solution. After all he is so delusional and full of hubris to be obsessed as to even lie about objectively verifiable things such as inauguration crowd size. I am confident that any other POTUS would be better or at least learn from their mistakes (cf. "HeckofajobBrownie").

[HouseDivided]

Please dont make people choose between bernie and trump. Cant think of two people that are less equipped to guide others through a potential recession and crisis type scenario.

The DNC won’t let Burnie win. They proved that in 2016. The only question in my mind is whether Biden is any different than DJT at the end of the day.

I think this is one whale of a false equivalency; benign, generally-altruistic incompetence would be a massive improvement.

I can understand why you would see it that way. I remain unconvinced at the moment.

[TDub]

Please dont make people choose between bernie and trump. Cant think of two people that are less equipped to guide others through a potential recession and crisis type scenario.

I don't think the situation is as binary. I doubt that anyone (who is serious, and even somewhat objective) is expecting the POTUS to personally be responsible for responding to every crisis. However, the expectation is that the POTUS assemble a core of credible, competent people who take the problem seriously and come up with solutions independent of political repercussions/ramifications. Trump is one person who is clearly incapable of this - he is more worried about "perfect" optics rather than finding a solution. After all he is so delusional and full of hubris to be obsessed as to even lie about objectively verifiable things such as inauguration crowd size. I am confident that any other POTUS would be better or at least learn from their mistakes (cf. "HeckofajobBrownie").

I am of the opinion that bernie would also fail at putting competent people around him. He is as lost and deranged as you claim Trump to be. (Not absolving trump here, he has failed in many ways as well, particularly at putting qualified people in critical positions, as you note).