Mortgage markets were mostly unchanged last week, breaking a three-week winning streak. Wall Street grappled with surprising demand on Spain’s debt issuance and a series of weaker-than-expected data points on U.S. housing.
Conforming mortgage rates across California rose slightly according to the weekly Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey. Continue reading
Tuesday, the Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged within its current target range of 0.000-0.250 percent.
For the fourth consecutive month, the Fed Funds Rate vote was nearly unanimous. Just one FOMC member dissented in the 9-1 vote.
The Fed Funds Rate has been near zero percent since December 2008. It is expected to remain near-zero through 2014, at least. Continue reading
Mortgage markets were mostly unchanged last week despite a series of positive developments. In addition to Greece successfully reaching a deal with its private creditors, the U.S. economy turned out strong reports — most notably with respect to Non-Farm Payrolls.
In February, the U.S. economy added 227,000 new net jobs and the figures from December and January were revised higher by an additional 61,000. It marked the 16th straight month of job gains nationwide. Continue reading
The Federal Reserve has released the minutes from its 2-day meeting January 24-25, 2012.
The Fed Minutes is a summary of the conversations and debates that shape our nation’s monetary policy. It receives less attention than the Fed’s more well-known, post-meeting press release, but the Fed Minutes is every bit as important.
To rate shoppers in Sacramento , for example, the Fed Minutes can give clues about whether mortgage rates will generally rise or fall in the coming months. Continue reading
I can’t believe I am posting this – once again rates dropped last week, setting near all-time lows set earlier this year.
Mortgage markets improved last week as news from the Federal Reserve, the U.S. economy, and Europe combined to spur new demand for mortgage-backed bonds. Continue reading