Mortgage rates drop in past week
Mortgage rates fell for the first time in more than two months as buyers continue to be stifled by high prices and limited supply.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the benchmark 30-year loan rate dipped to 3.13% this week from 3.18% last week. At this time last year, the long-term rate was 3.33%.
The rate for a 15-year loan, popular among those looking to refinance, fell to 2.42% from 2.45% last week. One year ago it was 2.77%.
Mortgage rates have been historically low for years, but strong demand and low inventory have pushed prices higher.
Last week, the National Association of Realtors reported that its index of pending home sales tumbled 10.6% in February, its lowest level since May of 2020. Contract signings are now slightly behind where they were last year after eight straight months of year-over-year gains.
Tennessee offers free online job training
Tennessee workers displaced by the economic disruption caused by COVID-19 can enroll in free online classes to advance their skill set through a state partnership with Coursera, one of the world's leading online learning platforms.
Through the Coursera Workforce Recovery Initiative, unemployed Tennesseans have free access to 4,000 courses that will help them develop the knowledge and skills needed to find meaningful employment. Coursera partners with 200 of the world's leading university and industry educators to offer courses teaching job-relevant skills across business, technology, and data science.
"This type of training and education helps develop a stronger workforce development pipeline across the state," said Jeff McCord, commissioner for the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development. "Coursera provides courses for Tennesseans to learn new, marketable skills so they can advance their careers or start down the path to a new career."
Through this partnership, Tennesseans can earn professional certificates from leading companies like Google.
To register, Tennesseans need to create an account at Jobs4TN.gov.
Netflix gains rights to top Sony films
Netflix further beefed up its film catalog on Thursday in a multi-year deal that will make it the new streaming home to Sony Pictures' top releases in the U.S.
Beginning next year, Sony's new films will stream domestically on Netflix after their theatrical runs. That includes movies in popular franchises like "Spider-Man," "Venom" and "Jumanji," as well as 2022 releases like "Morbius," "Where the Crawdads Sing," "Uncharted" and "Bullet Train."
The agreement also gives Netflix a first-look option on any films the Culver City, California-based studio elects to send directly to streaming.
- Compiled by Dave Flessner