Another Day of Gains With Some Quarter-End Distortion

Another Day of Gains With Some Quarter-End Distortion

Q1 was fairly eventful for the bond market with solid--sometimes puzzling--gains in February followed by a relative rout in March. Heavy quarter-end rebalancing flows are making for more volatility than normal at 4pm ET, but up until that point, 10yr yields had rallied roughly 8bps. Those gains were fueled by headlines that spoke to potential de-escalation in Iran--something that's easy enough to confirm by examining the corresponding drop in oil prices and spike in stocks. That said, the underlying news falls short of marking a distinct turning point in the war.

Market Movement Recap
09:18 AM

Moderately stronger overnight. MBS up just over a quarter point and 10yr down 5bps at 4.302

12:50 PM

Near best levels with MBS up more than 3/8ths and 10yr down 5.3bps at 4.298

01:53 PM

MBS up 11 ticks (.34) and 10yr down 4.2bps at 4.31

04:12 PM

Off the best levels after quarter-end rebalancing trades. MBS up only 10 ticks (.31) and 10yr down only 3 bps at 4.322

Latest Video Analysis

Another Day of Gains With Some Quarter-End Distortion

MBS & Treasury Markets
UMBS 5.0 98.36 +0.12 10YR 4.323% -0.029% 3/30/2026 11:32PM EST
TRUMP TO NEW YORK POST: MY MISSION WAS TO PREVENT IRAN FROM POSSESSING A NUCLEAR WEAPON, AND I SUCCEEDED IRAN'S PRESIDENT PEZESHKIAN: WE'RE READY TO END WAR, BUT WANT GUARANTEES This doesn't really seem like big news considering Iran has said they "want guarantees" since last week, but there are no other newswires that coincide with the movement we're seeing in bonds (and stocks, and oil).  Specifically, 10yr yields just dropped from 4.33 to 4.29+ in short order...   READ MORE
Today's Mortgage Rates
30YR Fixed 6.47% -0.08% 15YR Fixed 6.03% -0.09% 3/31/2026
Mortgage rates moved lower for the second straight day as markets responded to potential de-escalation in the Iran war.  Rates are based on bonds and bonds improved overnight as The President said the war could end even if the Strait of Hormuz was not yet reopened. Additional improvement followed during domestic hours based on headlines that suggested Iranian officials were "ready to end the war." The market reaction might have been bigger had those claims not been co...   READ MORE
Economic Calendar
Time Event Period Actual Forecast Prior
Tuesday, Mar 31
9:00AM Jan FHFA Home Price Index m/m (%) Jan 0.1% 0.1% 0.1%
9:00AM Jan CaseShiller 20 mm nsa (%) Jan -0.1% -0.1%
9:00AM Jan FHFA Home Prices y/y (%) Jan 1.6% 1.8%
9:00AM Jan Case Shiller Home Prices-20 y/y (% ) Jan 1.2% 1.3% 1.4%
9:45AM Mar Chicago PMI Mar 52.8 55 57.7
10:00AM Feb JOLTs Job Quits (ml) Feb 2.974M 3.1M
10:00AM Mar CB Consumer Confidence (%) Mar 91.8 88 91.2
10:00AM Feb USA JOLTS Job Openings (ml) Feb 6.882M 6.92M 6.946M
12:00PM Fed Goolsbee Speech
12:00PM Fed Goolsbee Speech
3:00PM Fed Barr Speech
Wednesday, Apr 01
7:00AM Mar/27 MBA Purchase Index Mar/27 163.6
7:00AM Mar/27 MBA Refi Index Mar/27 1145.0
7:00AM Mar/27 Mortgage Market Index Mar/27 310.7
8:15AM Mar ADP jobs (k) Mar 40K 63K
9:05AM Fed Musalem Speech
9:13AM Fed Barr Speech
9:20AM NY Fed Bill Purchases 1 to 4 months (%) $8.071 billion
9:45AM Mar S&P Global Manuf. PMI Mar 52.4 51.6
10:00AM Mar ISM Manufacturing Employment Mar 48.8
10:00AM Feb Construction spending (%) Feb
10:00AM Jan Business Inventories (% ) Jan 0.1% 0.1%
10:00AM Mar ISM Mfg Prices Paid Mar 73 70.5
10:00AM Mar ISM Manufacturing PMI Mar 52.5 52.4
10:30AM Mar/27 Crude Oil Inventory (ml) Mar/27 -1.3M 6.926M
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The Iran war continues to dominate financial markets and mortgage rates are no exception. That's no great surprise considering rates are driven by movement in the bond market. Still, the direction of the movement may be a surprise to some. All else equal, things that cause economic pain and uncertainty tend to be good for rates because they drive investors out of riskier assets like stocks and ... READ MORE