New York, Jan 9, 2026, 18:26 EST — After-hours
- Rocket Companies shares jumped 9.65% to close at $23.29; the stock was little changed after the bell
- The move followed Trump’s order for $200 billion in mortgage-bond purchases, which lifted housing-linked names
- Investors are watching for details on the buying plan and next week’s key U.S. inflation and housing data
Rocket Companies (RKT.N) shares closed up 9.65% at $23.29 on Friday, after a sharp housing-linked rally tied to President Donald Trump’s call for large mortgage-bond purchases. The stock touched $23.41 in the session and was little changed in after-hours trading. (Nasdaq)
The move matters because Rocket’s business swings with mortgage rates and loan volume. When rates fall, refinancing can thaw quickly and purchase activity tends to follow, even if the pickup comes in fits and starts.
Trump’s plan put rates back in focus. Housing has been squeezed by high borrowing costs and elevated home prices, and traders have been looking for anything that might pull buyers back into the market and lift mortgage volumes. (Reuters)
Trump said he ordered his representatives to buy $200 billion in mortgage-backed securities, or MBS — bonds backed by home loans — to push mortgage rates and monthly payments lower. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will execute the purchases, while Redfin’s head of economics research, Chen Zhao, warned the impact on rates could be “fairly small.” (Reuters)
But the downside case is straightforward: the policy may not move the needle much, and could even add fuel to demand without fixing the supply crunch. Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic said housing affordability problems go beyond financing, and Richmond Fed President Thomas Barkin called the answer “on the supply side”; UBS analysts estimated the purchases could trim mortgage rates by roughly 10 to 25 basis points, to about 6.0% from around 6.21%. (Reuters)
The order also reopened a separate question hanging over housing finance: what comes next for Fannie and Freddie. TD Cowen analyst Jaret Seiberg wrote that Trump’s comments “does not sound like a President who is in a rush to IPO the enterprises,” while JonesTrading analyst Mike O’Rourke said using the GSEs as a funding arm for policy makes re-privatization harder to see. (Reuters)
A separate filing showed Rocket director Matthew Rizik sold 2,500 Class A shares on Jan. 7 and another 2,500 on Jan. 8 under a Rule 10b5-1 plan, at weighted average prices of about $21.26 and $21.29, respectively.
Next up, traders will be watching for details on the timing and size of the MBS buying, and whether mortgage rates actually follow. The first near-term tests are the U.S. consumer price index report on Jan. 13 (08:30 a.m. ET) and the National Association of Realtors’ existing-home sales report on Jan. 14 (10:00 a.m. ET), ahead of the Federal Reserve’s Jan. 27-28 policy meeting. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
