$FMCC

Michael Burry, known for his 'Big Short' bet, disclosed August trades including long positions in MercadoLibre (MELI), Zoetis (ZTS), Lululemon (LULU), and Molina Healthcare (MOH), and short positions in Palantir (PLTR), Nvidia (NVDA), and others. Nine of his 17 long holdings rose, with Veeva (VEEV) up 35.8%, while his short bets faced pressure as AI stocks rallied, with Palantir up 51.4%. Burry adjusted his portfolio, raising cash and managing risk.

Michael Burry bought Nvidia (NVDA) calls as a hedge ahead of earnings, while increasing short positions in NVDA, Oracle (ORCL), Palantir (PLTR), Nebius (NBIS), and Caterpillar (CAT). His short positions now exceed 21% of his portfolio. Burry believes NVDA is overvalued and its monopoly power is waning, but acknowledges earnings reactions are uncertain.

Freddie Mac (FMCC) reported that the 30-year fixed mortgage rate averaged 6.67% as of Aug. 13, 2026, down from 6.69% the prior week. The 15-year rate averaged 5.96%, down from 6.01%. Freddie Mac said affordability improved versus a year ago and applications rose as rates moved modestly lower.

Simply Wall St highlighted Federal Home Loan Mortgage (FMCC) after Q2 2026 net income rose to $3,838 million from $2,387 million a year earlier. First-half 2026 net income was $7,396 million versus $5,181 million in 2025. Despite stronger earnings, shares fell 10.64% over 30 days and 48.89% YTD. A valuation narrative cites fair value of $14.70 versus a $5.29 close.

U.S. Rep. Tom Kean proposed the MOVE Act to require Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to purchase and securitize portable mortgages, letting homeowners transfer existing rate, terms and balance to a new property to address the lock-in effect. The article cites Coldwell Banker data on sellers’ mortgage rates and a July 30-year fixed average of 6.81%.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will tighten condo mortgage underwriting. New policies take effect Aug. 3, ending limited streamlined reviews for many projects and requiring full assessments of condo finances, reserves, insurance, and building condition. A separate Jan. 4 rule raises required reserve funding to at least 15% of annual budget from 10%, according to Fannie Mae.

Freddie Mac reported Q2 2026 net income of $3.8 billion, up 61% year over year, driven by an $880 million credit reserve release and 13% higher net interest income to $6.01 billion. Net revenues were $6.0 billion. Noninterest expense fell 3% to $2.1 billion. Mortgage portfolio was $3.7 trillion as of June 30.

Favorable shifts in loan loss reserves helped fuel a jump in Freddie Mac's net income to a high not seen in years as it nearly matched its opponent in efforts to purchase home mortgages from private companies. Processing Content Freddie generated $3.8 billion worth of earnings that were up 60% from the same period a year earlier and compared to $3.6 billion in the first quarter. It also generated $6 billion in net revenues, beating S&P Capital IQ's consensus estimate of $5.4 billion.

Freddie Mac said its Primary Mortgage Market Survey showed the average rate on a benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rose to 6.66% from 6.58% last week, the highest in a year. Freddie Mac also reported the 30-year rate was 6.72% a year ago. Freddie Mac attributed housing activity to more available inventory.

The article discusses climate-driven changes affecting mortgage borrowers and the broader housing sector, and highlights industry software and verification vendors. It also reports Freddie Mac’s Q2 2026 results: net income of $3.8 billion, up 61% year over year, with net revenues of $6.0 billion and a $0.9 billion credit-loss benefit. It mentions Fannie Mae’s $4 billion Q2 earnings.