The market for rental apartment buildings is tumbling at its fastest-rate since 2009 in the wake of the Great Financial Crisis. The Washington Post obtained data from research firm CoStar Group that show a 74 percent year-over-year drop in sales in the first quarter of 2023. The report found that the decline is partly the result of higher interest rates pushing up financing costs for investors. The recent banking crisis has also been a damper on the market.
Investors weren't jolted by the downgrade because they already know the fractured state of U.S. politics, the size of the country's public debt, and the challenges it faces to pay for Social Security, Medicare and other expenses.
The national average for gas prices stood at about $3.78 a gallon on Tuesday — about 25 cents higher than that seen one month ago, according to motor club AAA. While today's prices at the pump remain far lower than they were last year, when energy costs soared worldwide in the months following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, experts say such a jump is unusual.