What Causes Mortgage Interest Rates To Fluctuate?

The mortgage interest rate represents the cost of borrowing money to purchase a property. Mortgage interest rates are not fixed; that is, they fluctuate from one period of time to the next. Many different factors play into what your mortgage interest rate will finally turn out to be. Some of these factors have to deal with the economy and government decisions. Other factors have to do with your personal financial situation. Finally, mortgage interest rates can differ between lending institutions, which is why you may get different mortgage interest rate quotes from different places. Economic Factors That Cause Mortgage Interest…
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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – March 25th, 2019

Last week's economic news included readings from the National Association of Home Builders, Federal Reserve Federal Open Market Committee and a press conference by Fed Chair Jerome Powell. Sales of pre-owned homes in February were reported along with weekly readings on mortgage rates and new jobless claims. NAHB: Builder Confidence Unchanged Despite Headwinds Home builders remained confident about housing market conditions in March. The NAHB Housing Market Index posted a reading of 62, which matched February's reading and fell one point short of expectations. NAHB Index readings above 50 represent a positive outlook on housing market conditions. Home builders continued…
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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – March 18th, 2019

Last week’s economic reports included readings on retail sales, inflation and construction spending. New home sales Consumer sentiment readings were posted along with weekly readings on mortgage rates and first-time jobless claims. Retail Sales Increase after Lowest Reading in 10 Years Retail sales rose by 0.20 percent in January; analysts expected an increase of 0.10 percent based on December’s negative revised reading of -1.60 percent. Home centers and internet retailers led in overall sales; retail sales without the automotive sector were higher with an 0.90 percent increase in January, which exceeded expectations of an 0.40 percent increase. December had a…
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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – March 11h, 2019

Last week's economic news included readings on new home sales, construction spending, and housing starts. Data on building permits was released along with Labor Department reports on public and private-sector jobs and the national unemployment rate. Weekly readings on mortgage rates and new jobless claims were also released. Construction Spending Slows as New Home Sales Rise in December Commerce Department data for December indicated less construction spending than for November. Construction spending dipped by -o.60 percent as compared to analyst expectations of a negative reading of -0.30 percent. Construction spending grew by 0.90 percent in November. Lower cash outlays for…
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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – March 4th, 2019

Last week's economic reports included readings from Case-Shiller Housing Price Indices and Commerce Department reports on housing starts and building permits issued. Readings on pending home sales and consumer confidence were released along with weekly reports on mortgage rates and initial jobless claims. Case-Shiller Home Price Growth Slows to Lowest Rate in Four Years Home prices continued to grow in December but reached their slowest pace since November2014. Seasonally-adjusted annual home price growth reached 4.70 percent in December as compared to growth of 5.10percent year-over-year in November. Analysts cited high home prices, and slim inventories of available homes, although demand…
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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – February 25th, 2019

Last week's economic news included readings on homebuilder confidence in housing market conditions, minutes of January's Federal Open Market Committee meeting, and existing home sales reported by the National Association of Realtors®. Weekly readings on mortgage rates and new jobless claims were also released. NAHB: Home Builder Confidence Rises to 4-Month High Homebuilder confidence rose for the second consecutive month in February and four points higher to an index reading of 62, which exceeded analyst expectations of a one-point increase in builder confidence. Components of the NAHB Housing Market Index also rose. Builder confidence in current market conditions rose three…
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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – February 19th, 2019

Last week's economic reports included readings on the Consumer Price Index, Core CPI, Retail Sales and Retail Sales excluding autos. The University of Michigan also released its Consumer Sentiment Index. Weekly readings for mortgage rates and first-time jobless claims were also released. Retail Sales Slip in December, Inflation Holds Steady December retail sales were 1.20 percent lower in December; analysts expected no growth as compared to November's retail sales growth of 0.10 percent. Readings for retail sales excluding the automotive sector were also lower in December with a negative reading of -1.80 percent. Analysts expected a negative reading of -0.10 percent.…
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What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – February 11th, 2019

Last week's economic news included Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell and weekly readings on mortgage rates and new jobless claims. Fed Faced with Public Mistrust of Institutions Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powel said in a speech to a group of teachers that the Federal Reserve is paddling against a current of public mistrust of the institution. Mr. Powell assured his audience that the Fed was "working in a non-political way" to support the economy. Mr. Powell said that the Fed was working to earn public trust and said that the Central Bank must be accessible to ordinary Americans and lawmakers.…
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