War Headlines Help Bond Recovery Continue

War Headlines Help Bond Recovery Continue

The focal point of the overnight news cycle was a report that administration officials said Trump is willing to end the war even if the Strait of Hormuz remains closed. Markets rallied nearly as much just before the open when Trump said the hard part is essentially done on the Iran war (and that other countries should just go take their own oil now, or buy it from the U.S.). The initial move took yields from 4.36 to 4.33 and the pre-open rally was 4.34 to 4.30--"moderate," but notable as it is happening on the day after an already big rally. War headlines remain in focus despite econ data ramping up. If 10am ET job openings data is spicy enough, it could command some attention given that the "recession fear" trade is thought to be the key reason that bond yields defied higher oil prices yesterday.

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

Latest Video Analysis

Why Bonds Are Rallying Despite Higher Oil Prices

MBS & Treasury Markets
UMBS 5.0 98.65 +0.41 10YR 4.297% -0.054% 3/31/2026 12:53PM 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 6.55% -0.09% 15YR Fixed 6.12% -0.03% 3/30/2026
The bad news is that the average top-tier 30yr fixed rate remains over 6.5% after being under 6% just a month ago. The good news is that rates recovered nicely over the weekend.  By Friday afternoon, the average rate was 6.64%--the highest since August 2025--adding to a trend of rapid upward movement over the course of March. While there's no way to know if a bigger picture corner has been turned, it's a victory in the short term. Notably, the underlying bond market ...   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