The Fed Met Last Week. What It Means To Mortgage Rates.
The Federal Open Market Committee begins a 2-day meeting today in Washington D.C. It's the group's first meeting of 2011 -- one of 8 scheduled for the year.
December’s Job Report : Good For Home Affordability
For this month -- and for the rest of 2011-- employment data will figure big in mortgage markets and for home affordability. Last week's release is the first big splash.
Retail Sales Weak In December; Home Affordability Gets A Boost
Mortgage rates are easing lower this morning on just-released, slightly worse-than-expected Retail Sales data from December 2010.
Mortgage Rates May Be Low, But They’re Tough To Pin Down — Especially This Week
Mortgage rates would have been volatile this week. The presence of Labor Day just piles on. If you have a chance to lock something favorable and within your budget, consider doing it.
Consumer Confidence Hints At Higher Home Prices And Higher Mortgage Rates, Too
According to The Conference Board, economic confidence is as high as it's been since August 2007 -- 4 months before the start of the recession. Americans are optimistic again. It's good for home prices but bad for mortgage rates.
May 2010 Jobs Report Gives A Temporary Boost To Home Affordability
According to the government, 431,000 jobs were created in May, but of those new jobs, 95.4 percent represented temporary staffing for the 2010 Census. Home affordability is improving on the report.
A Rate-Locking Strategy For Today’s Fed Meeting
The Federal Open Market Committee adjourns from a scheduled 1-day meeting today, its second of the year. The FOMC has held the Fed Funds Rate in a target range of 0.000-0.250 percent since December 16, 2008, and the voting members of the Fed are expected to vote "no change" again today.
Mortgage Rates Spike On The Federal Reserve’s January 2010 Meeting Minutes
The Fed Minutes is a follow-up document, delivered 3 weeks after an official FOMC meeting. It's a companion piece to the post-meeting press release, detailing the debates and discussions that shaped our central bankers' policy decisions. The Minutes is a terrific look into the Fed's collective mind and, yesterday, Wall Street didn't like what it saw.
How Rising Consumer Sentiment Is Linked To Higher Home Prices
Consumer Sentiment has been on the rise since last February and it's something to which home buyers should pay attention. The affordability of your next home may hinge on consumer confidence.
Looking At The 2010 Predictions For Housing Markets And Mortgage Rates
There's a lot of talk on CNBC and elsewhere about what's coming in 2010. Before you take those predictions to the bank, just remember that analysts do a much better job interpreting data from the past than projecting it into the future.
How Swine Flu Helps Mortgage Rates
Monday, mortgage markets improved with news of new Swine Flu [...]
Indirect Benefits of the Stimulus Package
Image by Getty Images via Daylife The American Recovery and [...]