06 Apr 2015
By Mark Feder

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – April 6, 2015

Market Outlook
Mortgage rates ticked upward for fixed rate loans and were unchanged for 5/1 adjustable rate mortgages according to Freddie Mac. Weekly jobless claims were lower in spite of slower job growth reports. Last week's economic events included several reports on jobs and unemployment including the ADP report on private-sector payrolls, the Department of Labor's reports on non-farm payrolls and the national unemployment rate. The details: Mortgage Rates, Pending Home Sales Weekly Jobless Claims Fixed mortgage rates rose by one basis point for both 30 and -15-year mortgages. The average rate for a 30 year mortgage rate was 3.80 percent and…
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30 Mar 2015
By Mark Feder

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – March 30, 2015

Market Outlook
Last week's economic reports included reports on new and existing home sales and FHFA's monthly home price index for properties associated with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgages. The details: New Home Sales Surge, Existing Home Sales Drop  According to the Department of Commerce, new home sales rose in January to a seasonally-adjusted annual rate of 539,000 which exceeded the expected rate of 455,000 sales and the revised figure of 500,000 sales of new homes in December 2014. This was a 7.80 percent increase over December's figure and was the first time since 2008 that new home sales met or…
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25 Mar 2015
By Mark Feder

FHFA: Home Prices Rise 0.30 Percent in January

Market Outlook
The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) reported that home prices rose by a seasonally-adjusted rate of 0.30 percent in January, and were 5.10 percent higher as compared to home prices in January 2014. FHFA oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and its home price report is based on sales of homes financed by mortgages owned or backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Month- to- Month FHFA Home Prices Mixed Month to month home price data was mixed for January. Home prices ranged from -0.40 percent in the Middle and South Atlantic census divisions to +2.30 percent in the East…
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16 Mar 2015
By Mark Feder

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – March 16, 2015

Market Outlook
Last week's economic reports included job openings, retail sales, retail sales except automotive, consumer sentiment for March and the usual reports on weekly jobless claims and mortgage rates. Job Openings Highest in 14 Years The Labor Department reported that job openings reached their highest level in 14 years in January, and rose by 2.50 percent over December 2014 job openings. On a seasonally adjusted basis, there were five million job openings in January. Job openings rose by 28 percent year-over-year. Hiring rose by 3.50 percent to 5.24 million, but analysts said that employers continue to have difficulty in finding workers…
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