When the administration announced that Fannie and Freddie would be buying mortgage-backed securities in early January, rates fell sharply to the lowest levels in more than 3 years. After a moderate rebound the following week, we've been holding mostly steady in a range that was 0.1-0.2 above those long-term lows. The past two days have brought enough improvement that the average lender is once again at levels that are close enough to the long-term lows seen on January 9th and 12th. What accounts for the strength? In today's case, incremental gains were driven by a tame reading in January's Consumer Price Index (CPI), a key inflation report. In general, lower inflation coincides with lower rates, and today's reading was slightly lower than expected.
Mortgage Rates Surge Higher as US Considers a Longer Blockade
Mortgage rates jumped higher today at the fastest pace in weeks to the highest levels since March 30th. There were two key motivations for the increase, but one accounted for a vast majority of the damage. News came out overnight that spoke to the pos…