Stocks of mortgage giants rise on privatization prospects
Shares of Freddie Mac jumped nearly 40% at market open on Wednesday. Fannie Mae stock rose about 30% and were the top-performing US stocks in the premarket. The two major government-sponsored enterprises, which have been under the control of the Federal Housing Finance Agency since the 2008 financial crisis, are set to benefit from a Trump presidency.
Republicans have hoped that Trump would fulfill a longstanding GOP goal to privatize the two companies, which he attempted to do in 2019. However, Democrats worry that doing so would add to the already high mortgage rates in the most unaffordable housing market in decades.
In a note, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Ben Elliott said that getting the GSEs out of government conservatorship “remains at best a 2026-27 prospect,” and is contingent on the administration’s pick of Treasury secretary and Federal Housing Finance Agency director.