Mortgage rates

The 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell week-to-week by the largest amount since the start of August and are now almost a percentage point lower than a year ago, according to Freddie Mac.

The latest inflation news is almost sure to result in a 25 basis point cut next week, but some are still hoping for 50 basis points, as well as reductions totaling almost 200 basis points through the end of 2025, Wolters Kluwer found.

The 30-year fixed rate loan was down 26 basis points as investors reacted early in the week to the employment numbers, according to Freddie Mac.

Bond traders now see a roughly 60% chance of an emergency quarter-point cut by the Federal Reserve within one week because of the market turmoil.

The 30-year fixed rate mortgage was at its lowest level since early February as the benchmark 10-year Treasury dropped under 4%.

But following the gross domestic product and personal consumption expenditures reports, Treasury yields and mortgage rates fell.

Even though the 30-year fixed rate mortgage is at its lowest level since mid-March, consumers are being cautious in returning to the market, Freddie Mac said.

With Americans suffering from high housing costs and declining supply, we cannot afford to watch a massive government-sponsored enterprise sit on billions in retained earnings.

Positive signs on jobs and inflation help drive the 10-year Treasury yield lower, and lead investors to forecast a short-term rate cut sooner than later, Freddie Mac said.

But economists seem to differ on what the latest movement in mortgage rates means for the summer home sales business.

Markets appeared to welcome signs of future rate relief, with the latest Freddie Mac average falling for the fifth time in six weeks.

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage average dropped back below the 7% level as investors reacted positively to news the economy is slowing, Freddie Mac said.

Yields on the benchmark 10-year Treasury also rose in the past week as bond and note auctions got tepid responses from investors.

The 10-year Treasury yield, one of the mechanisms used to price 30-year fixed rate mortgages, is higher than where it was one week ago.

The 30-year fixed rate mortgage fell for the first time in six weeks as the Federal Open Market Committee meeting outcome is finally priced in.

Mortgage rates rose 7 basis points this week, Freddie Mac said, and more increases are likely following a weaker than expected gross domestic product report.

But views are split, at least in the near-term on whether rising mortgage rates are holding back the Spring home purchase season.

Mortgage rates rose this week as investors priced stronger than expected inflation and jobs affecting Fed moves into the 10-year Treasury.

In a study posted weeks after it raised concerns about "junk fees," the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau noted that the amount of borrowers paying discount points doubled from 2021 to 2023, with the increase larger among consumers with lower credit scores.

But the 30-year fixed rate mortgage is still near 7%, and that remains the overhang on the housing market, Freddie Mac said.