Mortgage Guy, Brian Cav, is back with his Massachusetts weekly mortgage rate report.
Mortgage Rates hit new lows yesterday. If you have refinanced over the past 2 years there is a 70% chance you can refinance to 0.5% lower in rate and pay NO closing costs. The 30 year fixed mortgage rate has fallen down to the 4.25% to 4.375% range for well-qualified borrowers. Can you say high 3.875%, 30 year fixed rate paying points?!?! These rates are amazing and may not be down this low again, I would take the safe play and LOCK in your purchase or refinancing application right now. Please call/email it only takes you 5 minutes to LOCK in at today’s new all-time low rates.
Inquire within for current Mortgage Rates or guidelines [email protected] 617.771.5021
Economic Data
Wednesday’s bond market has opened down sharply after this morning’s economic data showed surprising strength. The stock markets are heavily influencing bond trading with significant gains. Stocks have had quite a strong reaction to this morning’s news, pushing the Dow up over 230 points and the Nasdaq up. The bond market is currently down, which will likely push this morning’s mortgage rates higher by approximately .250 of a discount point. Strength in bonds late yesterday is helping to prevent a larger increase to this morning’s rates.
Today’s news came from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), who released their manufacturing index for August late this morning. They announced a reading of 56.3 that was not only well above forecasts, but also an increase from July’s reading. This means that manufacturer sentiment about business conditions was much stronger than analysts had expected. When this happens, bonds tend to move lower and stocks higher as it is a sign of economic strength.
Yesterday afternoon’s release of the minutes from the last FOMC meeting didn’t reveal any significant surprises, but did indicate that the Fed is considering, or at least willing to invest more funds into mortgage-related securities. That can be considered good news for bonds and mortgage rates since the additional buying should drive mortgage pricing lower. However, it is just a thought at this time and cannot be given much weight until the Fed does decide to pursue that route.
There are two reports scheduled for release tomorrow morning that have the potential to influence rates. The first is the revised 2nd Quarter Productivity numbers, which measures employee productivity in the workplace. Strong levels of productivity allow the economy to expand without inflation concerns. It is expected to show a downward change from the previous estimate of a 0.9% decline. Forecasts are currently calling for a 1.7% drop, meaning productivity was weaker than previously thought. This would be negative news for the bond market and mortgage rates, but this data is not one of the more important reports we see each quarter. Therefore, unless there is a large variance from expectations, this report will likely have little impact on tomorrow’s rates.
July’s Factory Orders data will also be released tomorrow morning. This report measures manufacturing sector strength and is similar to last week’s Durable Goods Orders, but includes orders for both durable and non-durable goods. It is expected to show a 0.3% increase in new orders. A smaller than expected rise would be favorable for bonds, while a large than forecasted increase could lead to higher rates tomorrow morning.
Also worth noting are weekly unemployment figures that will be released by the Labor Department early tomorrow morning. They are expected to say that 475,000 new claims for unemployment benefits were filed last week. Since this data tracks only a single week’s worth of claims, it usually takes a fairly significant surprise for mortgage rates to react. This is especially true when monthly figures will be posted the following day, as is the case this week.
FLOAT or LOCK
If I was closing on a Home Mortgage in the next 0 to 15 Days – LOCK
If I was closing on a Home Mortgage in the next 15 to 30 Days – LOCK
If I was closing on a Home Mortgage in the next 30 to 60 Days – LOCK
If I was closing on a Home Mortgage in the next 60+ FLOAT
This is only my opinion of what I would do if I were financing a home. It is only an opinion and cannot be guaranteed to be in the best interest of all/any other borrowers.
- Are you a possible Massachusetts First Time Homebuyer?
- Do you have a Real Estate client inquiring about current Mortgage Rates?
- Do you have any Refinancing questions?
- Should you be thinking about Refinancing out of your ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage)?
- Have your Real Estate clients been Pre Approved?
[email protected] 617.771.5021
Credit: Bloomberg, Yahoo Finance, Mortgage News, MBS Quoteline, WSJ, NY Times
