Economic News…Bond markets got a big jolt this morning with the release of the Employment Situation report. The stronger than expected report revealed that 257,000 non-farm payroll jobs were created in January and both November and December numbers were revised sharply higher as well. In addition to this there was a big uptick in average hourly earnings. While this is good news for workers and the economy money in bonds headed for the door. Factory Orders and the ISM Manufacturing data were much less positive. The … [Read more...]
Tri-Valley Mortgage and Market Update
Economic News…was on the soft side this week. Retail Sales came in less than expected for the second consecutive month and Consumer Sentiment took a bit of a hit for the first two weeks of August. Weekly Jobless Claims ticked up in the most recent week as well. On a positive note, Industrial Production beat consensus and still shows that the manufacturing economy in the US is growing. This one report could not buoy the market though and with shrinking economic output in Japan and the Euro-Zone money was flowing … [Read more...]
Tri-Valley Mortgage and Market Update
Economic News…While all real estate is considered local the opposite is true for the mortgage market. Swings in the debt markets are influenced by global events, such as those happening in the Ukraine, as well as the severe winter that much of our country has had to endure. A “flight to quality” when fears persist leads to lower rates. On the flip side, a stock market which continues to move higher coupled with a brighter view of the overall economy pushes rates higher. Locally, inventory of homes for sale seems to … [Read more...]
Tri-Valley Mortgage and Market Update for 1.3.14
Economic News…Well 2014 has arrived and one thing is certain which is the continued change in the mortgage markets. In early December the Federal Housing Finance Agency announced that it would increase (beginning in March) the “guarantee fees” charged by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. This took many in the industry by surprise and the conventional wisdom is that these tiered charges will be passed on to the consumer in the form of higher mortgage rates. A bit of good news regarding this issue came from Mel Watt (the … [Read more...]
Tri-Valley Mortgage & Market Update for November 15th
Economic News…was light in this holiday shortened trading week. Weekly Jobless Claims and Industrial Production were, for the most part, inline with estimates. Reporting next week should provide a little more direction as to the near-term momentum of interest rates. In the past year and a half we have experienced a “white hot” real estate market in the Bay Area. While there are some signs of cooling with higher mortgage rates, market conditions continue to remain in favor of the seller but is there a change coming? … [Read more...]
Tri-Valley Mortgage & Market Update for October 25th
Economic News…for the week supported the notion that the FED will most likely stay put with their current economic policy. Weekly Jobless Claims are still running higher than desired with the four week moving average 40K above September numbers. Consumer Sentiment revealed a dimmer view of current economic expectations. While Existing Home Sales have calmed a bit pricing continues to increase and the Western Region led the country. A bit of good news this week for the real estate industry was that maximum loan … [Read more...]
Tri-Valley Mortgage & Market Update for Oct 5th
Economic News…for this week can be summed up in one word...Delayed”. Reports on Construction Spending, Factory Orders and the Employment Situation were not released due to the partial government shutdown. Up to this point lending has not been dramatically affected but if the impasse continues problems could arise. Social security number verification as well as the ability to pull tax transcripts (4506) could prove to be problems for mortgage lending down the road. It will be very important over the next few weeks … [Read more...]
Tri-Valley Mortgage & Market Update for August 23rd
Economic News…was positive to start the week and mortgage rates continued to move higher. The last two major reports of the week reversed this trend and gave a much needed relief to interest rates which have been flirting with two year highs. Existing Home Sales for July posted a significant increase in all four US regions. The minutes from the Federal Open Market Committee confirmed the consensus that a wind down to quantitative easing is in the works. The market was calmed somewhat with the FED noting that it … [Read more...]
Tri-Valley Mortgage & Market Update for August 9th
Economic News...was light for the week. Manufacturing and Employment data met expectations. Even though the market was calm, news in the mortgage world was more robust. Several cities have investigated the use of Eminent Domain to seize underwater mortgages within their jurisdiction, modify the terms of the loans and then resell them. While this sounds like a worthy goal there may be a backlash from those willing to lend in these areas in the future. Just in the last few weeks Richmond, CA has moved further than … [Read more...]
Tri-Valley Mortgage and Market Update for 8.2.13
Economic News...We knew this week was going to be volatile for mortgage rates due to the importance of the data on tap. This situation was summed up perfectly in a Mortgage News Daily update which equated the behavior of the bond market to that old game of French origin utilizing an oxeye daisy. “He(She) loves me...He(She) loves me not.” Wednesday, Thursday and Friday provided news that would shift the bond market dramatically in either direction. When yesterday came to a close all eyes were fixed on the Employment … [Read more...]
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