Mortgage rates inched higher this week as markets await a potential interest rate cut from the Federal Reserve at its September policy meeting. According to the latest Freddie Mac data (Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation), the typical 30-year fixed mortgage rate climbed to 6.49%, a modest increase from the previous week's 6.47% and marking the lowest average levels in over a year. Yahoo Finance housing reporter Dani Romero breaks down the details, providing insights into what it means for home buyers and sellers in the broader housing market. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination. This post was written by Angel Smith

Investors should consider buying gold as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East are likely to escalate in the coming months, according to a recent note from Alpine Macro.

The bond market is pricing in up to a 50-basis-point rate cut in September.

July's Consumer Price Index (CPI) saw the cost of shelter increase 0.4% in the month. Meanwhile, mortgage applications surged 16.8% last week from 6.9% the week prior. Mphasis Digital Risk founder and managing director Jeff Taylor joins Market Domination Overtime to discuss the state of the housing market and its trajectory as the Federal Reserve initiates interest rate cuts. "What we saw in the refinance market was the biggest one-week jump in almost two years. And if we look at the broader [mortgage] rate market right now, we're down a full point to 6.5%, down from a high in April of 2024. And as the Fed has talked about over the course of the last couple of weeks, we're looking at potentially one to two rate cuts this year, maybe September, maybe December, maybe a total of 75 basis points," Taylor tells Julie Hyman and Josh Schafer. "So for the first time in over two and a half years, I think that we're really starting to hit a spot here in a period of time where interest rates are going to come back down coupled with affordability getting a little bit better... Those things coming together are really going to shape up for what could be a good housing market in the rest of this year and in the spring buying season," he explains. He notes that in a recent survey, Mphasis found that 48% of potential homebuyers are looking for a 5% rate in order to feel ready to purchase a home. He expects permanent mortgage rate cuts to come when the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates: "If you look at September through December of this year, you could probably see triple the amount of refinance volume as you have in the previous two years on a monthly basis because, ahead of the Fed, the markets will move to MBS [mortgage-backed securities] and then mortgage rates will come down." For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination Overtime. This post was written by Melanie Riehl

Artificial intelligence and robotics are ever-expanding industries, with new research and innovations coming out every day and major companies competing to get the next and best new tech. What are the best ways to begin investing into the space? As part of Yahoo Finance's Robotics Week: Investing in Tomorrow special, BlackRock US Head of Thematic and Active ETFs Jay Jacobs sits down with Julie Hyman and Josh Schafer to talk about how investor portfolios can gain exposure to this next generation of technology. "We're looking to provide exposure across the value chain of pure-play artificial intelligence companies. That includes everything from generative AI model developers to artificial intelligence infrastructure, software and data, as well as artificial intelligence hardware... think semiconductors," Jacobs tells Yahoo Finance. "The idea is that as you see more adoption of artificial intelligence, more use cases that are being put to work... we would expect more adoption of artificial intelligence to ultimately lift this basket of stocks. That is the idea behind really trying to be very, very specific about what is the value chain of artificial intelligence BlackRock manages a variety of exchange-traded funds, including the iShares Future AI & Tech ETF (ARTY) and iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX). For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Market Domination. This post was written by Luke Carberry Mogan.

-- Gold prices fell slightly in Asian trade on Wednesday, but remained in sight of a record high as traders positioned for signs of easing consumer inflation after a soft reading on producer inflation.

The ultra-short duration fund aims to compete with established players in the cash proxy space.

The "Magnificent Seven" tech stocks have been under investor scrutiny due to their high valuations. However, recent trading weeks have seen these valuations decline, prompting investors to question whether these stocks are becoming attractive investment opportunities once again. Yahoo Finance reporter Josh Schafer analyzes the current state of these Big Tech valuations. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Asking for a Trend. This post was written by Angel Smith

-- Gold prices steadied in Asian trade on Monday, remaining close to record highs as traders awaited more cues on U.S. interest rates from key inflation data due later in the week.

The market experienced a sell-off earlier this week. So is now a good time to buy into tech? Luke Barrs, Goldman Sachs Asset Management Fundamental Equity Managing Director, joins Yahoo Finance to give his insight into the tech trade. "Selectively, there's great opportunity across the broad market, but specifically in tech as well. There are some transformational themes that are coming through that are driving earnings," Barrs says. He notes that there was likely some froth in the market, so the recent sell-off was likely healthy for stocks.   "When we come to technology, what is very apparent is not just the macroeconomic picture, but also the fact that people want to see... evidence that that gen AI trade is actually driving positive outcomes," Barrs adds. For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Catalysts. This post was written by Mariela Rosales.