New York, Jan 14, 2026, 09:32 EST — The regular session is underway.
- Opendoor shares dropped roughly 3.4% in early trading, trimming gains fueled by recent housing policy moves.
- Following new inflation and retail-sales figures, investors are adjusting their wagers on mortgage rates.
- Attention now shifts to the Fed’s Jan. 27-28 meeting and Opendoor’s upcoming earnings report.
Opendoor Technologies (OPEN.O) shares dropped roughly 3.4% to $6.77 in early Wednesday trading, pulling back after last week’s strong rally in housing-related stocks.
The pullback is significant since Opendoor is closely tied to interest rate movements. Mortgage rates influence homebuyer demand, and because Opendoor keeps homes in inventory, its financing costs are directly affected.
The stock’s recent volatility comes after a Jan. 9 surge in housing-related shares, triggered by President Donald Trump’s directive to buy $200 billion in mortgage bonds — specifically mortgage-backed securities linked to home loans — aiming to lower borrowing costs. Brian Jacobsen, chief economic strategist at Annex Wealth Management, told Reuters then, “Every little bit will help push mortgage yields lower, but this might be self-defeating.” (Reuters)
Rate-sensitive stocks showed varied moves Wednesday morning. Rocket Companies slipped nearly 1.9%, and loanDepot dropped around 4.6%. UWM Holdings managed a modest gain of about 0.7%, but Offerpad, a home-flipping platform, tumbled roughly 10%. The iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF climbed close to 1%.
On Tuesday, U.S. consumer prices climbed 0.3% in December, pushing the annual increase to 2.7%, data revealed. This supports bets that the Federal Reserve will hold interest rates steady this month. “Families may not closely track core inflation, but they see grocery prices and restaurant costs immediately,” noted Sung Won Sohn, finance and economics professor at Loyola Marymount University. (Reuters)
Early Wednesday brought another data drop: U.S. retail sales climbed 0.6% in November, despite delays caused by a 43-day government shutdown, according to a Reuters report. Bank of America Securities highlighted its Consumer Prism data, noting a “substantial and persistent” divide in spending growth between higher- and lower-income groups. (Reuters)
Opendoor profits by flipping houses. The company purchases properties, holds them on its balance sheet, and then sells them—meaning financing expenses and volatile home prices can hit hard.
The risk is clear. If mortgage rates hold steady or policy boosts demand without loosening supply, affordability remains squeezed and sales could freeze up. For Opendoor, slim margins and rapid price shifts might turn inventory into a headache.
Next on the agenda: the Fed’s policy meeting set for Jan. 27-28, where markets will parse any changes in rhetoric following recent inflation data. Traders also have their eyes on Opendoor’s upcoming earnings report, which Nasdaq’s calendar lists for Feb. 26. (Federal Reserve)
