Tag Archives: Mortgage Backed Securities

Should I Lock Or Float This Week? – Fed Minutes Expose Rising Interest Rate Risk

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Rates get worseThe unrelenting selling in the MBS markets has gotten a bit out of hand, and has a panicked feel. This may have something to do with the Fed, who suggests that the present quantitative easing (QE)  program may be modified in the near future. This is not a surprise as Fed chairman Ben Bernanke said, at some point the Fed would begin exiting, likely inch by inch but obviously not in one fell swoop as the market decline over past few weeks seems to imply (see chart).

The current QE program involves the Fed purchasing $85 billion per month in mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and Treasury bonds. The Fed’s goal with QE is keeping long-term interest rates, including mortgage rates, low. Continue reading →

Explanation Of The Fed Statement Today (October 24 , 2012)

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The Federal Open Market Committee voted to leave the Fed Funds Rate unchanged within its current target range of 0.000-0.250 percent Wednesday.

For the ninth consecutive meeting, the vote was nearly unanimous. And, also for the ninth consecutive meeting, Richmond Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Lacker was the lone dissenter in the 9-1 vote.

The Fed Funds Rate has been near zero percent since December 2008. At the close today, Mortgage Backed Securities ended the day a little worse (rates/fees went up a bit) on the news… Continue reading →

The Treasury Market is Getting Better Today. So Why Aren’t Mortgage Rates Getting Better Too?

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Click on the Photo for Enlarged Version. Much easier to read!

With last Friday mornings report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released its Non-Farm Payrolls report. More commonly called “the jobs report”. Depending on the strength — or weakness — of the data, mortgage rates will change. As expected, the numbers were not as good as we hoped for and money started to flow into the “safe haven” of mortgage bonds. Continue reading →