Bloomberg Surveillance Bloomberg Surveillance TV: January 12th, 2026
4 snips
Jan 12, 2026 
Bill Pulte, the Federal Housing Finance Agency Director, discusses efforts to lower mortgage rates and increase housing affordability, including a significant Fannie and Freddie bond buyback. Norman Roule, a former U.S. intelligence official, provides insights on the unprecedented protests in Iran, highlighting the potential for military options. Torsten Slok, chief economist at Apollo, analyzes the muted market reactions to Fed uncertainties and identifies the driving factors behind gold's recent surge, linking it to inflation concerns and changing global investment dynamics.
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Use GSEs To Lower Mortgage Costs
- Use Fannie and Freddie actively to lower mortgage costs and improve affordability.
- Deploy buybacks and policy changes to shift housing stock from corporations back to individual owners.
Turning Around Fannie And Freddie
- Bill Pulte described turning around Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac operations after taking charge.
- He recounted employees working from home and wasted lease spending before his reforms.
Restrict Institutional Home Buying
- Ban institutional single-family purchases to free up supply for individual buyers.
- Prioritize policies that prevent corporations from using balance-sheet advantages to outbid Americans.