Pics du jour

🏘️ US mortgage rates increased for the fourth straight week, per Freddie Mac. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.54% this past week, up from 6.44% the week prior. Mortgage rates fell to a two-year low in September as the Fed began lowering interest rates, but they’ve risen over the past month as strong economic data – like retail sales and weekly jobless claims – caused traders to reevaluate expectations for future Fed rate cuts.

⚾ The World Series begins in LA tonight. The Yankees-Dodgers showdown features the top-two MLB teams in terms of payroll, as well as the presumed MVPs for both leagues (Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani). And while the first pitch has yet to be thrown, one player is already guaranteed to win a ring: minor leaguer Taylor Trammell. Another fun fact: the cheapest available WS tickets are ~1,000x more expensive than when the Yankees and Dodgers first played in the World Series in 1941 ($1,085 vs. $1.10).

📰 News deserts abound, per a new report. A total of 127 newspapers across the US have closed over the past year, a rate of ~2.5/week, according to data from Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism. Overall, 56% of America’s 3,143 counties – spanning 55 million people – have one or zero local news sources.