Weekly Roundup Nov. 10-14
GOVERNMENT REOPEN | YIELDS | LAST PENNIES MINITED
By: Lorenzo Alfonso
Nov. 17, 2025
Market Snapshot:
S&P500: -1.05% | Russel 2000: -2.77% | Dow Jones: -.062% | Oil (WTI): -6.34% | Gold: 4.00% | VIX: 8.12% | 10 yr Treasury Yield: 4.1%
Update in the economy
Government reopens after 43 days. The longest shutdown on record ended on Nov. 12 when the President signed a funding bill. Agencies are turning the lights back on and restarting delayed data releases. Food assistance payments resumed quickly, with most states paying full November benefits within about a day.
What it means: Official economic reports (like inflation and jobs) will start flowing again, which helps investors, borrowers, and policymakers make decisions.
“The federal government will now resume normal operations,” Trump said during a signing ceremony at the White House. He also thanked the Democratic senators who “did the right thing in voting to end this craziness.” — POTUS, Donald Trump
Flights froze at a 6% reduction at major airports as they work on the staffing issues from this closure.
With agencies slowly reopening, investors are watching for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and a backlog of job data to be released soon.
What Moved Markets?
Uncertainty regarding AI and the valuation of companies mentioned in last week’s weekly report remains high for investors. U.S. stocks rallied on Monday and then sold off on Thursday. The Dow closed higher for the week while the Nasdaq closed lower.
Bitcoin continues to decline from record levels, trading at $125,000 just six weeks ago.
Bond Yields and Mortgage Rates
As Washington reopened, the U.S. Treasury 10-year yield hovered around 4.08–4.11% this week, and that pullback helped keep 30-year mortgage rates near the low-6% range. This can be read as a potential sign of easing pressure on the economy.
Investors are now looking ahead to the interest rate decision on December 10th. According to CME FedWatch, odds fell to 43% for a cut.
This is also because the key decisions the Fed board and chair make are based on historical data, and we are currently delayed on some of these.
50 Year Mortgage
What caught my eye this week in the financial news was the housing regulator proposing a 50-year mortgage.
The housing regulator says it’s exploring a 50-year option, but this is not an approved, standard product yet. If it arrives, the math will trim monthly payments a bit but increase total interest significantly and slow how fast you build equity. Today, loans longer than 30 years generally aren’t eligible for the main housing-agency market.
U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte on Saturday said FHFA was "working on" a five-decade-long mortgage after Trump, a Republican, posted an image of himself under the heading "50-year Mortgage" on social media.
Benefits: Saving about $119 per month on payments. Buyers trying to own a home in today’s market and facing high housing costs could benefit from this.
Downside: Paying more interest in the end. According to a UBS analyst, extending the loan this much can almost double your interest paid over the life of the loan.
Will this be the answer to the housing problem, or will it hurt buyers opening such a loan on these terms?
Pennies: One Last Mint
For the last time in U.S. history, the one-cent penny ended production on November 12th, 2025, to save money on costs. The average penny to mint costs about 3.69 cents. The U.S. Mint projects about $56 million in savings with the stop of production. The cost has exceeded its face value for 19 years, and the country is eliminating this excess cost.
Stores are advised to adjust pricing in regard to this change. If you go shopping, you might start to see prices adjust and registers change in line with the minting rules. You might also see interest from collectors if you have some older pennies.
Looking ahead
This week we close earnings season with some big players and an eye on NVIDIA, Walmart, Target, and Home Depot, to name a few.
Analysts expect NVIDIA to deliver $54.9 billion in revenue with all the AI demand. We will keep our eye on seeing if they meet these expectations as they continue to sign deals in the industry.
Terms used in this weekly market recap
Consumer price index: A monthly report that shows how fast prices are rising for everyday goods and services.
Ten-year U.S. Treasury yield: The interest rate the U.S. pays to borrow for ten years; many other rates, including mortgages, move with it.
Mortgage rate (30-year fixed): The yearly interest cost on a home loan you repay over 30 years; lower rates usually mean lower monthly payments.
Federal Open Market Committee: The central bank’s rate-setting group; they vote on whether to raise, cut, or hold interest rates.
CME FedWatch: A public tool that turns market prices into probabilities of what the central bank will do at the next meeting.
Futures market (context for FedWatch): A market where traders buy and sell contracts tied to future interest rates; those prices embed crowd expectations.
Shutdown: When parts of the federal government close because Congress and the president have not passed funding; many data releases and services pause.
Price-to-earnings ratio: A quick how expensive is this stock? Share price divided by yearly profit per share.
