17 Aug 2015
By Mark Feder

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – August 17, 2015

Market Outlook
Last week's economic reports related to housing were few and far between other than weekly reports on new jobless claims and Freddie Mac's mortgage rates survey. Mortgage Rates Mixed, Jobless Claims UpFreddie Mac reported that average mortgage rates rose for fixed rate mortgages and dropped for 5/1 adjustable rate mortgages. The average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage rose by three basis points to 3.94 percent. The rate for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage rose by four basis points to 3.17 percent. The average rate for a 5/1 adjustable rate mortgage fell by two basis points to 2.93 percent.…
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06 Jul 2015
By Mark Feder

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

Market Outlook
Last week's housing-related economic events included the Case-Shiller Home Price Index reports for April, the Commerce Department's Pending Home Sales report and a report on Construction Spending. In other economic news, Non-Farm Payrolls, the ADP Employment report and Consumer Confidence reports were released. Freddie Mac's mortgage rates summary and the weekly unemployment claims report were released as usual. Case-Shiller: Home Price Growth Slows in April The Case-Shiller 20-City Home Price Index reported that year-over-year home prices slowed in April with a reading of 4.20 percent as compared to the March reading of 4.30 percent. David M Blitzer, chairman of the…
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15 Jun 2015
By Mark Feder

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – June 15, 2015

Market Outlook
Retail Sales, Consumer Confidence Up Retail sales rose for the third consecutive month. May sales increased at a seasonally adjusted rate of 1.20 percent according to Commerce Department data. Auto and gasoline sales led the charge to higher retail sales, but analysts said that most retail sectors posted gains. Upward revisions of March and April's retail sales provided evidence of stronger economic conditions. Consumer sentiment jumped nearly four points from May's reading of 90.7 to 94.6 in June. This appears to be great news compared to the year before the recession, when consumer sentiment averaged a reading of 86.9. Weekly…
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18 May 2015
By Mark Feder

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – May 18, 2015

Market Outlook
Last week's economic reports included data from the Federal Reserve on student loan debt, job openings and retail sales. Weekly jobless claims and Freddie Mac's survey of average mortgage rates were released as usual on Thursday. A report on consumer sentiment wrapped up the week's scheduled economic new. Federal Reserve: Student Loan Borrowers Struggle with Payments  In two reports issued by the New York and St. Louis branches of the Federal Reserve, researchers found that high numbers of student loan borrowers are behind in making payments. According to the New York Fed, 11.10 percent of student loan borrowers were 90…
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