Daily Mortgage Rate Commentary Archive

Thu, 8:04 PM

Mortgage Rates Move Higher After Trade Deal - Thu, 8:04 PM

Mortgage rates moved back up to the higher levels seen earlier this week after the official announcement of a trade deal between the U.S. and the U.K. Most lenders actually began the day fairl...

Wed, 7:35 PM

Mortgage Rates Lower After Fed Announcement, But Not Because of It - Wed, 7:35 PM

There's nothing like a Fed announcement day to get almost every media outlet to run headlines that attempt to tie the day's market movement to the Fed's rate decision. The problem in today's case...

Tue, 7:24 PM

Mortgage Rates Improve Slightly After Starting Out Flat - Tue, 7:24 PM

Mortgage rates were unchanged for the average lender this morning, thanks to a modest improvement in the bond market overnight. Rates were on course to remain mostly flat until the afterno...

Mon, 7:51 PM

Mortgage Rates Roughly Unchanged to Start New Week - Mon, 7:51 PM

Mortgage rates faced a slight headwind on Monday as economic data caused weakness in the bond market. This would typically result in higher mortgage rates, but in today's case, the damage was mi...

Fri, May 2, 7:22 PM

Mortgage Rates Are Actually Higher This Week - Fri, May 2, 7:22 PM

Mortgage rates had a nice little run, moving down from last Monday's highs of 6.98% (average, top tier 30yr fixed) to a mid-week low just over 6.80%. Even after yesterday's modest bounce, ...

Thu, May 1, 7:32 PM

Rates Pull Back Slightly After Stronger Economic Data - Thu, May 1, 7:32 PM

After enjoying a calm, steady winning streak so far this week, mortgage rates finally experienced a bump back toward slightly higher levels on Thursday. The move followed the release of a close...

Wed, April 30, 8:19 PM

Another Small Victory For Mortgage Rates - Wed, April 30, 8:19 PM

Mortgage rates continue enjoying a completely different volatility regime compared to just a few weeks ago. Back then, it wasn't a surprise to see the top tier average rate move by more th...

Tue, April 29, 7:25 PM

Friendly, Stable Trend Continues For Mortgage Rates - Tue, April 29, 7:25 PM

It's now been more than a week since mortgage rates ended the day higher than the previous day. And we haven't recovered quite as much lost ground as 10yr Treasury yields, we're getting p...

Mon, April 28, 7:36 PM

Mortgage Rates Start New Week Slightly Lower - Mon, April 28, 7:36 PM

Mortgage rates ended last week at the lowest levels since April 7th. The average lender remained at those same levels at the start of business today, but many lenders offered modest improv...

Fri, April 25, 8:06 PM

Lowest Mortgage Rates in Nearly 3 Weeks - Fri, April 25, 8:06 PM

The news on mortgage rates has been frustratingly mixed recently, depending on the source. This is a factor of the various time frames and methodologies employed by different purveyors of rate ...

Thu, April 24, 7:47 PM

Mortgage Rates Continue Lower - Thu, April 24, 7:47 PM

Mortgage rates continue the slow, bumpy process of healing from the rapid rise seen 2 weeks ago. Last week was a solid victory in that sense with rates moving steadily and meaningfully lower wit...

Wed, April 23, 8:12 PM

Mortgage Rates Pulled in Two Directions, But End Day Lower - Wed, April 23, 8:12 PM

Mortgage rates are an extension of the financial market, so it's no surprise that they've been more volatile than normal over the past few weeks as markets react to fiscal headlines. The latest ...

Tue, April 22, 7:31 PM

Mortgage Rates Hold Almost Perfectly Steady - Tue, April 22, 7:31 PM

In not so many words, last week's thesis was that "no news was good news" for mortgage rates . Specifically, an absence of major, unexpected developments on the topic of tariffs and trade ...

Mon, April 21, 8:29 PM

Mortgage Rates Jump Back Toward 7% - Mon, April 21, 8:29 PM

Last week was a hopeful one for interest rates . The average top tier 30yr fixed mortgage rate fell more than 0.20% from the previous week's highs as underlying markets took some solace in...

Thu, April 17, 6:35 PM

Mortgage Rates Edge Higher Today, But Lower on The Week - Thu, April 17, 6:35 PM

Mortgage rates managed to make a nice amount of progress this week after hitting the highest levels in roughly 2 months last Friday. The first 2 days of the week brought the most meaningful impr...

Wed, April 16, 7:29 PM

Mortgage Rates Extend Winning Streak as Familiar Pattern Returns - Wed, April 16, 7:29 PM

As markets digested implications of several fiscal policy changes over the past 2 months, a predictable trading pattern emerged. Stocks and interest rates moved lower together. This isn't alway...

Tue, April 15, 7:50 PM

Mortgage Rates Continue Lower Amid Calmer Financial Markets - Tue, April 15, 7:50 PM

Financial markets experienced relatively extreme volatility on several occasions following the April 2nd tariff announcements. The bonds that underlie mortgage rates were no exception, thus pus...

Mon, April 14, 7:18 PM

Mortgage Rates Fall Back Below 7% - Mon, April 14, 7:18 PM

Last Friday was notable in that it was the first day since February 19th where the average top tier 30yr fixed mortgage rate ended the day over 7%. Last week was also notable for ranking among th...

Fri, April 11, 8:16 PM

Mortgage Rates Jump Back Above 7% - Fri, April 11, 8:16 PM

It has undoubtedly been an extremely volatile week for financial markets and that includes the U.S. bond market to be sure. As an example, the poster child for the U.S. bond market, the 10y...

Thu, April 10, 7:50 PM

Mortgage Rates Are Actually MUCH Higher This Week - Thu, April 10, 7:50 PM

This article is not intended to report on the weekly Freddie Mac rate survey, but we'll have to reference it in order to participate in reality. To be fair, Freddie's survey is perfectly real, bu...

Wed, April 9, 8:29 PM

Wild Ride For Mortgage Rates, Should Spill Into Tomorrow Too - Wed, April 9, 8:29 PM

For anyone remotely tuned into financial news, it will come as no surprise that this has been a crazy week and today has been a crazy day. This is just as true for stocks as it is for the b...

Tue, April 8, 8:43 PM

Mortgage Rates Surge to Highest Levels Since February - Tue, April 8, 8:43 PM

While no one can be sure exactly how things will pan out in the long run, the market is currently expressing extreme disapproval of the new tariff plans. While interest rates had previous...

Mon, April 7, 9:00 PM

Worst 24 Hours For Rates So Far This Year - Mon, April 7, 9:00 PM

Tariff volatility giveth and taketh from interest rates . Up until Friday afternoon, it's been mostly "giveth-ing." In other words, the prospect of trade wars between the US and nume...

Fri, April 4, 8:29 PM

Rate Rally Reverses, But Focus on Bigger Picture - Fri, April 4, 8:29 PM

This week is ending with the average top tier 30yr fixed mortgage rate at its lowest level since early October, 2024. The only way to be disappointed about that would be to focus on the fact that...

Thu, April 3, 7:42 PM

Lowest Mortgage Rates in More Than 5 Months - Thu, April 3, 7:42 PM

Yesterday afternoon's tariff announcement sent financial markets on a ride that ultimately resulted in sharply lower stock prices and moderately lower bond yields. Stocks don't always correlate w...

Wed, April 2, 9:08 PM

Mortgage Rates Edge Slightly Higher, But Tomorrow is Anyone's Guess - Wed, April 2, 9:08 PM

Mortgage rates didn't move much today, which is pretty crazy considering the volatility present in financial markets in the afternoon. That's when the long awaited tariff announcement spee...

Tue, April 1, 7:29 PM

Lowest Mortgage Rates in Nearly a Month - Tue, April 1, 7:29 PM

While interest rates continue operating in a range that is generally flat and narrow over the past 5 weeks, it's also true that today's rates are on the lower edge of that range. Because there'...

Mon, March 31, 7:30 PM

Mortgage Rates Inch Lower, But Remain Broadly Sideways - Mon, March 31, 7:30 PM

"Sideways" has been the dominant theme for mortgage rates for well over a month now. The average top tier 30yr fixed rate fell below 6.82% on February 25th, and moved down to 6.70% the followin...

Fri, March 28, 9:34 PM

Mortgage Rates Move Lower Even Though They Weren't Supposed To - Fri, March 28, 9:34 PM

First thing's first before anyone gets too excited: yes, rates fell on Friday, but not significantly. The average lender is still a bit closer to the higher end of the recent range. In addi...

Thu, March 27, 7:26 PM

Mortgage Rates Steady to Slightly Higher - Thu, March 27, 7:26 PM

With the exception of Monday, which saw a medium-sized uptick in mortgage rates , the rest of the week has been fairly calm in terms of volatility. Unfortunately, the low-volatility movement has...

Wed, March 26, 8:58 PM

Mortgage Rates Hold Steady Near Recent Highs - Wed, March 26, 8:58 PM

It depends what one's definition of "recent" is, but if it involves the past few weeks, mortgage rates were at their highest recent levels both yesterday and today. 2 other days in that w...

Tue, March 25, 8:02 PM

Mortgage Rates Modestly Higher on Average, But Some Lenders Are Lower - Tue, March 25, 8:02 PM

One of the key principles of mortgage rate movement has to do with the frequency of mortgage rate changes. Specifically, mortgage lenders prefer to update rates once per day. This is notabl...

Mon, March 24, 7:41 PM

Mortgage Rates Slightly Higher to Start New Week - Mon, March 24, 7:41 PM

The average mortgage lender raised rates modestly on Monday morning--a logical move considering the weakness in the bond market over the weekend. Rates are based directly on bonds. Bond "we...

Fri, March 21, 6:44 PM

Mortgage Rates Tick Gently Higher to End Week - Fri, March 21, 6:44 PM

In terms of the market movement that underlies and dictates mortgage rate movement, today looked a lot like yesterday. Things started strong and faded gently as the day progressed. There we...

Thu, March 20, 8:32 PM

Mortgage Rates Very Close to Multi-Month Lows - Thu, March 20, 8:32 PM

It was actually a rather uneventful day for the bond market. That means it should have been an uneventful day for mortgage rates (because they're driven by changes in the bond market). To be fa...

Wed, March 19, 7:52 PM

Rates Move Back Toward Lows After Fed Announcement - Wed, March 19, 7:52 PM

Heading into today, we knew the afternoon's Fed announcement was biggest potential flashpoint for interest rate movement, and that the movement probably wouldn't be extreme. The unknown, as alway...

Tue, March 18, 7:07 PM

Mortgage Rates Started Higher, But Ended Lower - Tue, March 18, 7:07 PM

As we often discuss, mortgage lenders prefer to set their rates once per day. They only make changes when the underlying bond market makes a big enough move. While it wasn't an extreme example, m...

Mon, March 17, 7:50 PM

Mortgage Rates Hold Steady Over The Weekend - Mon, March 17, 7:50 PM

Mortgage rates are based on movement in the bond market, and the bond market is closed for most of the weekend. As such, one might assume that Monday's mortgage rates would always be right...

Fri, March 14, 7:38 PM

Mortgage Rates Hold Very Steady, Yet Again - Fri, March 14, 7:38 PM

Despite some ups and downs on a small scale, mortgage rates have been sideways in the bigger picture. That's a good thing if the latest refi application data is any indication. Dema...

Thu, March 13, 7:38 PM

Mortgage Rates Recover After Starting Slightly Higher - Thu, March 13, 7:38 PM

Mortgage rates hit their highest levels in just over 2 weeks yesterday and they were on track to remain unchanged today. In fact, the average lender offered the exact same 30yr fixed rate when t...

Wed, March 12, 7:18 PM

Highest Mortgage Rates in Just Over 2 Weeks - Wed, March 12, 7:18 PM

Mortgage rates have moved up over the past 2 days, ultimately hitting the highest levels since February 24th today. While that sounds somewhat unpleasant or unfortunate, context paints a s...

Tue, March 11, 7:15 PM

Mortgage Rates Slightly Higher Ahead of Important Inflation Data - Tue, March 11, 7:15 PM

With fiscal and geopolitical developments dominating the news cycle, it would be easy to forget that interest rates prefer to take their primary cues from economic data. This is an import...

Mon, March 10, 7:02 PM

Mortgage Rates Recover Some of Last Week's Losses - Mon, March 10, 7:02 PM

Conventional 30yr fixed mortgage rates hit their lowest levels in months last Tuesday morning, with the average lender right in line with levels from mid October or early December. After that, ...

Fri, March 7, 7:47 PM

Mortgage Rates Back Near Yesterday's Levels After Starting Out Lower - Fri, March 7, 7:47 PM

The average mortgage lender was briefly able to offer noticeably lower rates this morning compared to yesterday's latest levels. Credit goes to this morning's jobs report for coming in a bit weak...

Thu, March 6, 8:18 PM

Mortgage Rates Higher For 3rd Straight Day - Thu, March 6, 8:18 PM

You may see conflicting news about mortgage rates today, depending on where you look. Weekly surveys, such as Freddie Mac's, are showing a fairly big drop from last week. That was indeed the ca...

Wed, March 5, 8:12 PM

Mortgage Rates Move Slightly Higher - Wed, March 5, 8:12 PM

It's been a great couple of weeks for mortgage rates , largely mirroring the terrible couple of weeks for the stock market. A combination of downbeat econ data and economic concerns helped push ...

Tue, March 4, 8:31 PM

Mortgage Rates Briefly Hit 4 Month Lows - Tue, March 4, 8:31 PM

Although mortgage rates are based on bonds, and although bonds are constantly on the move throughout the day, mortgage lenders prefer to set the day's rates only once. From there, if bonds make...

Mon, March 3, 8:31 PM

Mortgage Rates Roughly Unchanged Over The Weekend - Mon, March 3, 8:31 PM

Mortgage rates faced a very small threat of a very small increase this morning. The underlying bond market was in weaker territory to start the day and that typically means mortgage lenders rais...

Fri, February 28, 8:40 PM

Rates Are Getting Really Close to 4 Month Lows - Fri, February 28, 8:40 PM

After more than a week of consistent and meaningful improvement, mortgage rates finally showed us that they were at least capable of moving in the other direction yesterday. Thankfully, that de...

Thu, February 27, 8:24 PM

Mortgage Rates Finally Stop Moving Lower, But Just Barely - Thu, February 27, 8:24 PM

Stop the presses! Mortgage rates actually moved HIGHER today! While it's the first time we've been able to say such things since last Tuesday, the damage is almost imperceptible. In fact,...