This week, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) released application numbers that confirm what almost anyone in the mortgage industry could have already told you (if they could find the time and energy!) A new refi boom is underway.
The refi numbers are all the more impressive considering how hard-fought the mortgage rate improvement has been. There’s a […]
Market volatility has been fairly intense over the past week and a half with trade war drama taking the spotlight away from the Fed and economic data. The following chart shows the Fed announcement last Wednesday being trumped by Trump’s tariff tweets on Thursday and then again by China’s decision to weaken its currency (Yuan) […]
On the morning after this week’s Fed rate cut, mortgage rates were roughly unchanged versus the previous morning. This will come as a surprise to scores of consumers who mistakenly believe the Fed’s 0.25% rate cut equates to a 0.25% drop in ALL rates.
The Fed only sets its own “Fed Funds Rate” which governs overnight lending between big banks. The only direct […]
This week’s most prevalent housing market headlines were quick to mention the abrupt drop in Building Permits to the lowest levels in 2 years. Other headlines pointed out that it was the quickest move lower in more than 2 years. Both statements are true. So is it time to stick a fork in the housing […]
Too frequently, media coverage suggests a Fed rate cut would coincide with lower mortgage rates and vice versa. But in practice it can be just the opposite! Let’s take a look at what the Fed is actually about to cut and how it might impact rates.
The Fed Funds Rate is set directly by the Federal Reserve. It’s the only […]
Interest rates have been on a tear. They’ve fallen faster and farther than at any other time in the past 8 years. By some measures, they’ve managed to maintain positive momentum for as long as they ever do. This naturally begs the question: is it time for a bounce?
Investors expected some clarity on that question […]
Interest rates are low! Just how low depends on the rate in question. For instance, longer-term rates like those for fixed-rate mortgages and 10yr US Treasuries are as low as they’ve been since November 2016. Shorter-term rates are another story. 2yr Treasury yields are only back to mid-2017 levels and the all-important Fed Funds Rate […]
This week’s policy announcement from the Federal Reserve (aka “The Fed”) was hotly anticipated. In the past month and a half, traders have rapidly upped their bets on multiple Fed rate cuts in 2019 as trade tensions flared. Softer economic data only added fuel to the fire.
In other words, markets think they see a reason for a big shift in Fed […]
You’ve heard of time healing all wounds, but what about low rates healing the mortgage and housing markets? It’s not that either was particularly distressed, but both have benefited in a major way from the recent drop in rates. Just as important as the drop itself has been rates’ ability to HOLD at or near long-term lows for 2 full […]
