The odds that the Federal Reserve will cut benchmark interest rates again in December are still high — but not as high as they were before last week’s cut. As of Monday, according to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool, 70% of interest rate traders are anticipating another 25-basis-point pullback after the Fed’s final meeting of […]
Another Fed rate cut to finish 2025? Not so fast Read More »
Analysts at Bank of America Securities say they are in the minority in believing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should return to serving as the main backstop buyers of agency mortgage-backed securities. BofA Securities has said the return of the GSEs as major MBS purchasers “would be welcomed in managed form, particularly given their retained
Fed, not GSEs, should be mortgage securities backstop: BofA Read More »
Investors are bracing for Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to lean more toward shorter maturities in the government’s funding mix to keep down long-term yields amid a mounting debt burden. Wall Street dealers expect Bessent to signal as soon as Wednesday, when his department releases a quarterly statement on debt sales, that issuance in the $30
The shift to shorter-dated US debt is only getting started Read More »
Financial services platform Robinhood and Sage Home Loans announced an exclusive offer on Monday, allowing Robinhood Gold subscribers to access mortgage rates at least 0.75% below the national average, along with a $500 credit toward closing costs on a new home purchase or refinance through Sage Home Loans. Gold subscribers are described as a subscription-based
Robinhood partners with Sage Home Loans for exclusive offer Read More »
The unsung hero of the housing market in 2025 has been the improvement in mortgage spreads, because without the spreads improving as much as they have, mortgage rates would not have gotten near 6% this year. I forecast that mortgage spreads should improve by 0.27%-0.41% this year, from a 2.54% average in 2024, giving mortgage
Mortgage spreads hit lowest level in years, keeping rates near 6% Read More »
Three Federal Reserve officials said they did not support the US central bank’s decision to cut interest rates this week, citing inflation that remains too high. Dallas Fed President Lorie Logan and her Cleveland counterpart, Beth Hammack, said Friday they would have preferred to hold rates steady. Both were speaking at a conference in Dallas,
Fed ‘chorus’ comes out against latest rate cut, citing inflation Read More »
Mortgage rates declined for the fourth consecutive week on the back of the Federal Reserve’s second rate cut of the year. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 6.17%, just a 0.2-percentage-point drop from last week‘s 6.19%, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market survey. The 30-year rate was 6.72% a year ago. “The last few months
Mortgage rates tick down following Fed’s cut Read More »
The Federal Reserve cut the Fed funds rate today but mortgage rates shot higher. This was not shocking to me as yesterday I wrote about whether Powell would ruin the year’s lowest mortgage rates with his remarks at the Fed press event — and that’s exactly what happened. When mortgage rates are near 6% and
Powell sends mortgage rates higher as he questions December cut Read More »
The Federal Reserve delivered a 25-basis-point cut to its benchmark interest rate on Wednesday, setting the target range at 3.75% to 4%. The move, which brings the federal funds rate to its lowest level in three years, comes amid a softening labor market and inflation pressures. Monetary policy watchers expect another cut in December, which
Fed rate cut could lower mortgage rates further Read More »
Pending sales of existing US homes stalled in September, suggesting anxiety about the job market kept potential buyers sidelined despite a welcome easing in mortgage rates. An index of contract signings held at 74.8 after climbing a revised 4.2% a month earlier to the highest level since March, according to National Association of Realtors data
Pending home sales stall as labor market concerns build Read More »