Market News

One week after home loan rates failed to improve further in the face of multiple bond-friendly stories, such as low inflation, high unemployment claims, and the Fed's continued commitment to purchase bonds, we... »
Read More of the post A Lesson in Supply and Demand

Home loan rates continue to hover near all-time lows, but there are three reasons why they should have improved but didn’t. Let's take a look at some of the “bond-friendly” news from this week... »
Read More of the post Is This the Bottom?

One of the major effects of the coronavirus was the enormous destabilization of the mortgage-backed securities (MBS) market back in mid-March. MBS pricing and trading activity determine home loan rates, so a big and... »
Read More of the post Stabilization in the MBS Market

The leading indicator on the health of the job market is the Initial Jobless Claims report, which essentially tells us the length of the unemployment line. And that line just grew. Over the past... »
Read More of the post The Unemployment Line is Growing

The Coronavirus has impacted millions of Americans across the country due to job loss and furloughs making it difficult, and sometimes impossible, for homeowners to make their mortgage payments. The U.S. government has stepped... »
Read More of the post Coronavirus Fallout to Hit Homeowners

This past week, thanks to the Federal Reserve, home loan rates declined. The high uncertainty around the coronavirus and its impact on homeowners and mortgage payments created a dire need for liquidity in... »
Read More of the post Liquidity Defined

Home loan rates touched all-time lows this past week, fueling refinance activity and creating a sense of urgency for homebuyers to lock in purchase loans. The question many people are asking is, "how low... »
Read More of the post How Low Can We Go?

This past week was a bit rough for the bond market as home loan rates steadily ticked higher and off the best levels in three years. The coronavirus has been a tailwind to the... »
Read More of the post Recovering From Coronavirus

The coronavirus outbreak in China continued to grip the financial markets this week. The total affected and number of deaths rose sharply throughout the week suggesting the virus is not yet contained. Stocks hate... »
Read More of the post Rates Decline Again

This past week was filled with so much good news — the biggest of which was the signing of Phase One of the U.S. and China trade pact. This trade deal is a very... »
Read More of the post Back to Fundamentals

This past week, we watched home loan rates tick modestly higher and retreat from three-year lows. Why? There are three main reasons: U.S and Iran. On Wednesday, the de-escalation of tensions between the U.S. and... »
Read More of the post The Good News Continues

The new year and new decade started, and good news: some things don't change. Stocks picked up right where they left off in 2019 by touching all-time highs. And bonds, which also performed... »
Read More of the post Nice Start to 2020

2019 was an incredible year for stocks, which finished the final trading week of the year at all-time highs. Generally speaking, when stocks go higher, so do rates. And that was the case... »
Read More of the post Global Improvement

“Let the Good times roll...” (The Cars) As we enter the final weeks of 2019, the housing and home lending sectors have enjoyed a good year thanks to a "Goldilocks" scenario of a... »
Read More of the post Goldilocks 2.0

There are rumors that our Fed is considering an idea to abandon its present 2% target rate for inflation in favor of a floating target where inflation would be allowed to rise above 2%... »
Read More of the post Changes That Could Affect Rates

That famous line describes the current wonderful backdrop for housing and the overall U.S. economy. Many are wondering what lies ahead for housing as we enter 2020. There are many reasons why the U.S.... »
Read More of the post A Great Housing Backdrop

“Looking ahead, my colleagues and I see a sustained expansion of economic activity, a strong labor market, and inflation near our symmetric 2% objective as most likely.” – Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, November 13,... »
Read More of the post A Goldilocks Economy

Right now, the biggest news story to follow is the U.S. and China trade negotiations. This past week, home loans started inching higher but were "saved" momentarily midweek when reports came out suggesting a... »
Read More of the post How Fast Rates Can Change

This past week the Federal Reserve cut the Fed Funds Rate for the third time this year, by .25%. Along with the rate cut, the Fed released a statement that suggested a "pause"... »
Read More of the post Fed Takes Action

This past week home loan rates were essentially unchanged from the previous week, breaking a trend of higher rates since the beginning of October. Bonds hate good news and there is still plenty to... »
Read More of the post The Remedy for Higher Rates

This past week home loan rates ticked up, yet remain just above 3-year lows. Here are 3 reasons why: Solid corporate earnings and future positive guidance from many public companies were a pleasant surprise... »
Read More of the post Optimism Hurts Rates

This past week was a classic example of how good news means bad news for bonds and home loan rates. A little trade deal with Japan, solid housing numbers, and hopeful news on the... »
Read More of the post Bullard Wants More

This past week the Federal Reserve cut the Fed Funds Rate for the second time this year, lowering the rate to 2.00%. Remember that the Fed Funds Rate is a short-term, overnight rate... »
Read More of the post Three Things the Fed Said

This past week home loan rates ticked up sharply from the previous week leaving many wondering – have rates bottomed? For would-be homebuyers, real estate agents, and folks working in the housing industry, here... »
Read More of the post Stocks and Mortgage Rates Rise

Bonds and home loan rates hate good news. So, the influx of positive news abroad coupled with strong jobs data here in the U.S. pressured mortgage bonds lower and home loan rates higher. The... »
Read More of the post Too Much of a Good Thing

Home loan rates finished this past week essentially where they began, near 3-year lows. With all the chatter of a global recession and elevated fears that the U.S. will slip into a recession thanks... »
Read More of the post Fed vs. Recession

The U.S. Bond market traded in a tight sideways range, leaving home loan rates essentially at unchanged levels week over week. However, the technical picture reveals Bond market indecision as prices trade near... »
Read More of the post Indecision Ahead of Huge News Week

This past week had little economic data for the financial markets to react to. As a result, home loan rates have inched higher though they remain near multi-year lows. It is normal to see... »
Read More of the post Summer Sideways Trend Continues

This past week, Fed Chair Jerome Powell reaffirmed the Federal Reserve's dovish position as he testified on Capitol Hill, thereby paving the way for the first Fed rate cut in 10 years later... »
Read More of the post A Slow News Week Ahead

“It's like watching paint dry.” That was this past week as financial markets around the globe traded in a bit of a calm, sideways pattern ahead of arguably the most important economic event of... »
Read More of the post Calm Before the G20 Storm

What a difference a month makes. In May, stocks fell sharply, and interest rates declined each week. June has been a different story. The Fed has signaled rate cuts are likely coming. Stocks... »
Read More of the post Rate Decline Stalls

"Let the good times roll" (The Cars) — For the sixth consecutive week home loan rates declined, once again fueled by the ongoing trade tensions between the US and China. However, the decline in rates... »
Read More of the post Fed Cuts and Home Loan Rates

"Sell in May and go away" — an old Wall Street investment strategy which suggests not owning stocks during the Summer months. That investment strategy certainly worked this past May as stocks declined each... »
Read More of the post Interest Rate Disconnect

The biggest story in the financial markets and around the globe is the ongoing US/China trade negotiations. At the moment, there is no resolution and it appears there will be no resolution for at least several... »
Read More of the post Trade With China Causes Uncertainty

The Census Bureau recently reported a homeownership rate of 64.2% in the first quarter of 2019, up from the 10-year low of 63.7% in the first quarter of 2015. A recent study by LendingTree... »
Read More of the post Americans Favor Owning

"Transitory" — defined as non-permanent or lasting a very short time — is the word Fed Chairman Jerome Powell used this week at the Fed Meeting to describe the current low inflation environment,... »
Read More of the post Is Low Inflation Finally “Transitory”?