Chen Zhao, Author at Redfin Real Estate News
Chen Zhao

Chen Zhao

Chen Zhao leads the economics team at Redfin, where she produces research on the housing market for public and internal audiences. Previously, she was an executive director leading housing finance and financial markets research at the JPMorgan Chase Institute. Prior to joining JPMCI, Chen was an economics consultant at Analysis Group, Inc., where she worked on financial litigation cases and led teams conducting health economics and outcomes research on behalf of pharmaceutical companies. While in graduate school, Chen was with the Center for Economic Studies and the Social Economic and Housing Statistics Division at the US Census Bureau, where she conducted applied microeconomics research using large scale restricted-access linked survey-administrative data. She started her career at the White House Council of Economic Advisers, where she focused on labor and health economics.

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Most Recent

Hotter-Than-Expected Inflation Report Will Keep Mortgage Rates Higher For Longer

The March inflation report came in hotter than expected, which means the Fed is highly unlikely to cut interest rates in June–and could mean the Fed only cuts rates once this year. The news is already pushing up mortgage rates.  Higher-than-expected inflation in March means that the Fed will almost certainly delay rate cuts until

Hot Jobs Report Could Cause Fed to Delay Rate Cuts

Employment growth was strong in March, which ultimately means mortgage rates are likely to stay higher for longer. But next week’s inflation data is the main factor the Fed will take into consideration.  The March jobs report came in hot. Strong growth in U.S. employment makes it more likely the Federal Reserve will delay their

Today’s Fed Meeting Unlikely to Move the Needle on Mortgage Rates

The Fed’s announcement that they’re holding interest rates steady–but still project three rate cuts in 2024–won’t immediately send mortgage rates down, but it shouldn’t send them up, either.  The Federal Reserve announced they’re holding interest rates steady during their March 20 meeting, as expected. The Fed still projects three rate cuts this year starting at

Mixed-Bag Jobs Report Keeps the Fed On Track for a June Rate Cut

The latest jobs report was a mixed bag, but homebuyers and sellers can still expect the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates in May or June. The jobs report this morning was a pretty mixed bag, with higher than expected job gains for February, but also a higher than expected unemployment rate and large revisions to

The U.S. Housing Market Gained $2 Trillion in Value Over the Last Year

The total value of U.S. homes jumped 5%, the biggest gain in nearly a year, as a shortage of houses for sale propped up values. Affordable East Coast and Midwest metros saw gains of over 10%, while pricey metros and pandemic boomtowns saw declines. The U.S. housing market gained $2.4 trillion over the last year,

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