8月8日全民健身日，清晨六点，湖北荆门浏河岛步道。
B | 晨光刚刚铺满路面，一个瘦小的身影已经稳稳地走在步道上。
C | 花白的头发在微风里轻轻晃动，脚步不快，但每一步都很扎实。
D | 走近了才看清，她后背的T恤上印着一行字——"贵州六盘水国际夏季马拉松，陆银寿89岁"。 Major housing industry groups voiced "profound concern" in a letter this week urging the Federal Reserve to stop raising interest rates.The rare public admonishment from top business advocates -- including the National Association of Realtors and the National Association of Home Builders -- underscores a dramatic slowdown in the housing market due in large part to rising interest rates.The letter arrives roughly three weeks before the Fed plans to make its latest rate-hike decision.Mortgage rates have reached their highest level in more than two decades and they have continued to rise. Data released on Thursday showed that mortgage rates increased for the fifth consecutive week, according to Freddie Mac."The speed and magnitude of these [mortgage] rate increases, and resulting dislocation in our industry, is painful and unprecedented," the letter from the housing groups said.Here's what to know about why real estate groups called on the Fed to stop raising rates:
What's happening in the housing market?
Sky-high mortgage rates have dramatically slowed the housing market, since homebuyers have balked at stiff borrowing costs and home sellers have opted to stay on mortgages that lock them into relatively low rates.Mortgage applications have fallen to their lowest level since 1996, the Mortgage Brokers Association said earlier this month.Sales of previously owned homes, meanwhile, have plummeted more than 15% compared to a year ago, the National Association of Realtors found in August.The slowdown has coincided with a sharp rise in costs for potential homebuyers.The average interest rate for a 30-year fixed mortgage has climbed to nearly 7.6%, Freddie Mac data shows.When the Fed initiated the rise of bond yields with its first rate hike of the current series in March 2022, the average 30-year fixed mortgage stood at just 4.45%.Each percentage point increase in a mortgage rate can add thousands or tens of thousands in additional costs each year, depending on the price of the house, according to Rocket Mortgage.
What role is the Federal Reserve playing in the housing market slowdown?
An aggressive series of interest rate hikes at the Federal Reserve since last year has pushed up the 10-year Treasury yield, which loosely tracks with long-term mortgage rates.The Fed has fought elevated inflation with borrowing cost increases as it tries to slash price hikes by slowing the economy and choking off demand.While inflation has fallen significantly from a peak of about 9% last summer, price increases remain more than a percentage point higher than the Fed's inflation target.Price increases held steady in September, fresh data on Thursday showed, suggesting that elevated inflation remains resistant to the interest rate hikes.The persistence of elevated inflation has prompted the Fed to espouse a policy of holding interest rates at high levels for a prolonged period, which in turn has increased the 10-year Treasury yield and put upward pressure on mortgage rates.Moreover, the Fed expects to raise rates one more time this year, according to projections released last month.Speaking at a press conference in Washington, D.C., last month, Fed Chair Jerome Powell acknowledged the continued effect of interest rates on mortgages, noting that activity in the housing market "remains well below levels of a year ago, largely reflecting higher mortgage rates."
What do the housing industry groups want the Fed to do?
Housing industry advocates want the Fed to take swift actions that reassure investors and other market participants of an end to the policies cooling the industry.Most notably, the industry groups want the central bank to release a statement saying that it has abandoned consideration of additional rate hikes.In their letter to Fed officials, the housing groups cautioned that a further slowdown in real estate could help tip the U.S. economy into a recession, scuttling the central bank's effort to achieve a "soft landing.""We urge the Fed to take these simple steps to ensure that this sector does not precipitate the hard landing the Fed has tried so hard to avoid," the letter said.。89岁，跑马拉松。
E | 这几个字放在一起，本身就足够让人敬佩。
F |
55岁开始跑步，坚持34年很多人第一反应是：这老太太肯定是练了一辈子体育。其实，陆银寿55岁那年才第一次迈开腿。那时候她刚退休没多久，看到身边的老同事陆续有人住院、有人拄拐，心里只有一个朴素的念头：身体硬朗了，孩子们才能安心过日子，不用为我操心。就为了这个，她开始出门快走，只要是晴天，从不间断。后来浏河岛步道修好了，这里就成了她的固定路线。走久了，晨练的人都认识了她，有人喊"陆阿姨"，有人叫她"马拉松奶奶"。55岁开始，89岁还在跑，这一锻炼，就是整整34年。她不是天赋异禀，不是专业出身，就是一个普普通通的老太太，用最笨的办法——日复一日地坚持，把时间熬成了自己的底气。多少年轻人办了健身卡去两次就再也没去过，多少人立了跑步flag三天就悄悄删掉。我们缺的不是时间，不是条件，而是那份“明天继续”的韧劲。家人的陪伴与支持陆银寿与马拉松的缘分，还得从一份乡愁说起。年轻时她在贵州六盘水工作生活过六年，心里一直装着那份感情。两个女儿也因此在六盘水买了房子，每年夏天接她去避暑。
G | 2018年夏天，大女儿报名参加六盘水马拉松，81岁的陆银寿听说了，也要参加。5公里的大众健身跑，她一路快走完赛。发令枪响后，大女儿陪在身边，赛道上有年轻人也有老人，完赛后她笑得特别开心。从那以后，跑步成了这个家庭共同的话题。几个子女虽然都已年过花甲，但都先后参加了六盘水马拉松的大众欢乐跑。今年7月，老人再次站上六盘水的赛道。两个女儿一左一右陪着，不时伸手扶一下母亲的胳膊，或者凑到她耳边说几句逗趣的话。沿途不断有人朝这位白发老人挥手致意，有人远远喊"加油"，有人举起手机拍下她的背影。从一个人快走，到全家人一起跑。跑步这件事，把一家人的心连得更紧了。
H | 陪伴是最长情的告白，而全家人一起奔跑，大概是最好的陪伴方式。年龄不是借口有人问她："这么大年纪还跑，图什么？"她笑笑说："图个乐呵。
I | "三个字，轻描淡写。但背后的分量，34年的日复一日，只有她自己知道。
J | 如今89岁的陆银寿，除了血压偏高需定时服药、听力稍有减退外，其他方面都很好。她说：“小感冒根本不怕，出门走一走，出一身汗就好了。”陆银寿55岁才开始跑步，年龄从来不是借口。
K | 写在最后跑步，最好的时间是十年前，其次就是现在。立秋刚过，天气没有那么热了，不妨开始慢慢跑步吧！陆银寿还想跑到100岁，我相信她能，我想，我们也可以。亲爱的朋友，您说呢？欢迎在文末留言讨论！
