This Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced that he will promote some measures to curb the purchase of single-family homes by institutional investors, with the aim of making it more affordable for the average American to own a home.

The president stated via social media that he is taking these measures. “I will ask Congress to codify it. People live in houses, not corporations,” he said, adding that “for a long time, buying and owning a home was considered the pinnacle of the American Dream.” In recent years, housing prices have skyrocketed to historic levels, driven in part by a tight housing market and a lack of inventory in the face of high demand. Trump also indicated that the issue will be discussed in greater detail during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, scheduled for later this month. According to an analysis by the American Enterprise Institute, an independent think tank, housing investors represent only 1% of all single-family homes, and the percentage of institutional ownership varies from state to state, concentrated in low-income communities. For its part, the Government Accountability Office revealed last year that institutional investment does influence prices. of housing and rentals, having negative effects for Americans.

While Bankrate data indicates that 75% of current single-family homes are unaffordable for the vast majority of Americans, and that only 24% of purchases made last year were by first-time buyers, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Following Trump's statements, the shares of major investment firms plummeted; for example, Blackstone's share price fell by 4%.American Homes 4 Rent listings decreased by 6.3%, and Invitation Homes listings fell by more than 7%.