This past week has been a tumultuous one for the national economy, as analysts have been consistently thrown for a loop by the latest housing market figures and rhetoric from both the Executive Branch and the Federal Reserve.
On Wednesday, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke held a much-anticipated press conference where he was expected to outline the central bank's gameplan to close out 2013, including the fate of the Fed's controversial distressed-bond buying program, referred to as quantitative easing (QE). With housing values continuing to increase modestly across the country, many industry watchdogs had predicted that Bernanke would announce that, as far as the Fed was concerned, the still middling housing market was on stable enough footing to sustain itself without the help of QE. However, come press time, the chairman surprised everyone by pledging to continue the QE program full speed ahead for at least the foreseeable future.
Many critics of the program fear that QE is creating a false sense of security among Americans and that the market is not so much recovered as it is on life support that has begun to act as a crutch. Following this logic, if QE is removed even moderately, the housing recovery could grind to a halt and Americans would find themselves in the same situation they were when President Barack Obama first took office.
Although the housing market appears to be improving, you should still seek counsel before you invest in real estate. If you are interested in potential investment properties, contact Great Wealth Strategies today for real estate investment tips that will help safeguard you against the perils of an uncertain economy.