This is bad for homeowners and home sellers, but the message is to get your finances ready for a downturn that could create buying chances later.

• Mortgage rates are expected to climb because government bond yields are rising as people move into cash instead of bonds.
• Inflation is set to get worse over the next 6 months, partly from the Strait of Hormuz being closed during the Iran conflict.
• Higher rates will push housing prices down further, which is bad for sellers but could help buyers willing to wait.
• Anyone with a loan above 6.5% is urged to refinance now while it's still cheap, before rates jump.
• Gold has already peaked and started falling, the dollar is getting stronger, and the AI-driven stock boom is called a bubble that will pop.

Outlook: Rates rise first as inflation bites, then drop once stocks tumble — setting up a downturn where cheap assets like crypto and gold could snap back hard.