by Adam Daigle | Acadiana business editor Good morning, Acadiana business news readers. Let's get down to the business news of the day. Another indicator of the cooling local real estate market came down this morning: the number of home purchase mortgages in the Lafayette area dropped in the fourth quarter by 41% from the third quarter. It's the lowest total since the second quarter of 2016. And refinances, which were extremely popular when interest rates hit historic lows, dropped 27% compared to the third quarter and 73% from a year ago. How much the market continues to contract is anyone's guess, but with inventory as tight as it is, the worst may be yet to come. You can read the full story here. Have a great day. | 