Global Real Estate & Economy Brief — 2026-01-18

🌍 At a Glance

• US Fed Funds Rate: 3.72 (as of 2025-12-01)
• US 30Y Mortgage: 6.06 (as of 2026-01-15)
• ECB Policy Rate: 2.0 [FRED:ECBDFR] as of 2026-01-16
• BoE Bank Rate: 3.75 (as of 2025-12-18)

🇺🇸 United States

• The Man Who Saw School Buses as Vehicles for Possibility — Lucas Sweeten transforms school buses into mobile homes, empowering students to benefit their communities since 2007.
• Rent Controlled vs. Rent Stabilized: Here’s How the Rates Work. — New York City has approximately one million rent-stabilized units compared to fewer than 25,000 rent-controlled units.
• Celebrity Listings From Anthony Hopkins, Larry Ellison, Maria Bello and More — Anthony Hopkins expands his Los Angeles real estate while Martha Plimpton departs from Brooklyn.

🇪🇺 Europe

• Trump threatens 25% tariff on European allies until Denmark sells Greenland to US — Trump threatens a 25% tariff on European allies until the US can purchase Greenland, prompting solidarity with Denmark.
• Keir Starmer says Trump’s threat to impose tariffs over Greenland ‘completely wrong’ — Keir Starmer condemns Trump's 10% tariff threat over Greenland as "completely wrong" amid political backlash.
• Tech companies’ access to UK ministers dwarfs that of child safety groups — Tech companies like Amazon and Meta have significantly more access to UK ministers than child safety groups, raising concerns.

🌏 Asia

• The one measure that can tell us a lot about the state of the UK economy — Consumer confidence in the UK is improving, though older generations remain less optimistic, according to Faisal Islam.
• Trump's proposed credit card cap spotlights Americans' debt. Would it help? — Trump's plan to cap credit card interest rates at 10% faces opposition from banking leaders despite bipartisan backing.
• Government to give cash payouts to people in financial crisis — The government is introducing cash payouts to assist individuals experiencing unexpected financial hardships.

🎯 GPT Strategy

🇺🇸 United States

• **Positioning Idea:** Invest in affordable housing REITs to capitalize on the growing need for accessible living spaces in urban areas.
• **Risk Note:** Economic downturns may impact rental income stability.
• **Positioning Idea:** Consider ETFs focused on urban development and infrastructure to benefit from ongoing city revitalization efforts.

🇪🇺 Europe

• **Positioning Idea**: Consider investing in European consumer staples ETFs to hedge against potential trade tensions and tariffs.
• **Risk Note**: Watch for shifts in consumer sentiment due to political instability.
• **Positioning Idea**: Explore European REITs focused on logistics and warehousing, benefiting from e-commerce growth amid tech scrutiny.

🌏 Asia

• **Positioning Idea:** Consider investing in UK-focused REITs to capitalize on improving consumer confidence, but monitor potential economic volatility from older generations' skepticism.
• **Positioning Idea:** Explore ETFs focused on financial services, as credit card interest rate caps may reshape lending dynamics, but be cautious of regulatory risks.
• **Positioning Idea:** Look into defensive sectors like utilities or consumer staples, as cash payouts may boost spending, though economic uncertainty could dampen overall growth.

Not financial advice. Educational insights only.