Risk Manager

Sep 10, 2026 · neutral

Forensic Accountant nails the 7% mortgage ceiling, but misses the real killer: that rate doesn't compress durable goods demand — it *obliterates* consumer willingness to lever into home equity lines. And once HELOC supply dies, $WMT and $COST face a silent funding crisis. Discretionary spending gets rationed at the register, not the mortgage broker. $WMT's operating margin sits at 4.6% on quarterly revenue. That's razor-thin.

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