Sliding: U.S. mortgage rates fell last week to a one-month low, spurring home-purchase activity. The contract rate on a 30-year mortgage dropped 8 basis points to 6.32% in the week ended Nov. 28, which included the Thanksgiving holiday, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data released Wednesday. Read more from Bloomberg. A subscription may be needed.
No deal in sight: Affordable Care Act subsidies helping 24 million Americans afford coverage are set to expire soon—and Congress appears gridlocked. Democrats lack the GOP votes needed to extend the aid, even as premiums jump 26% for 2026. With no bipartisan deal in sight, health costs—and election stakes—are rising fast. Read more from the Washington Post.
Shutdown’s cost: Delta Air Lines says the government shutdown that ended last month cost it approximately $200 million in pretax profit as bookings softened during the longest such impasse in U.S. history. Travel demand, however, is still healthy, and bookings are strong going into 2026, Delta reiterated in a securities filing on Wednesday ahead of an industry conference. Read more from CNBC.
