In this Real Estate News Brief for the week ending May 18th, 2024... what the latest two inflation reports are telling us, how several Fed officials are responding to those reports, and which cities are the best for short-term rentals.  Before we begin, we'd like to let you know that you can become a member of RealWeath for free! Just head over to newsforinvestors.com. You’ll have access to a free education on real estate investing and the opportunity to build financial security through real estate.   And while you're there, be sure to look under the Connect tab for our property tours. We have one coming up for San Antonio on June 7th and 8th and give property tours in the North Dallas area every month.  Now we begin with economic news from this past week that gave us a pair of mixed inflation reports. The Producer Price Index for April shows an unexpected .5% jump in wholesale prices while the Consumer Price Index shows a better-than-expected .3% increase in consumer prices. The April results bring the annual PPI up to 2.2%, and lower the annual CPI to 3.4%. The results for the core rate were similar with the PPI increasing slightly and the CPI decreasing slightly.   Although the first report triggered another wave of concern about where inflation is headed, the second report helped settle a few nerves. And they didn’t do much to ruffle the feathers of Fed Chief Jerome Powell. He spoke after the PPI was released, and said that inflation has remained higher than expected but that he still expects it to move down...   ...Please subscribe to this podcast and thanks for listening!    Kathy   Links:   1 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/powell-says-he-expects-inflation-to-move-down-but-isnt-completely-confident-in-this-forecast-6ae0d320?mod=search_headline   2 - https://www.cnbc.com/2024/05/14/powell-says-inflation-has-been-higher-than-thought-and-expects-rates-to-hold-steady.html   3 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/wholesale-inflation-surges-again-ppi-shows-inflation-still-sticky-55cbb168?mod=mw_latestnews   4 - https://www.marketwatch.com/livecoverage/april-cpi-inflation-report-forecast-to-show-another-hefty-advance/card/consumer-prices-rise-again-in-april-but-inflation-rate-slows-SAZWlU4VvdwWRUNm9FIG   5 - https://www.fxstreet.com/news/fed-policymakers-comments-awaited-after-april-inflation-data-202405161019   6 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/jobless-claims-subside-from-8-month-high-and-signal-layoffs-are-still-low-6c713465?mod=economy-politics   7 - https://www.marketwatch.com/story/housing-starts-rebound-in-april-as-u-s-continues-to-grapple-with-inventory-shortage-e32feb3c?mod=search_headline   8 - https://eyeonhousing.org/2024/05/higher-interest-rates-keep-single-family-housing-starts-flat-in-april/   9 - https://eyeonhousing.org/2024/05/year-over-year-gains-for-single-family-built-for-rent-starts/   10 - https://www.freddiemac.com/pmms   11 - https://listwithclever.com/research/best-short-term-rental-markets/#best