Thu, Nov 20 2014, 5:49 PM
There was a metric ton of data on tap today, both at home and abroad. During the European session, most of the data was weaker. Given that Europe s...
Thu, Nov 20 2014, 5:00 PM
Mortgage rates improved today following
weaker economic data in Europe. That data fueled demand in bond
markets overnight, pulling US Treasu...
Thu, Nov 20 2014, 1:08 PM
Melvin L. Watt, Director of the Federal Housing Finance
Agency (FHFA) told the Senate Banking Committee today that Freddie Mac and
Fannie Mae (the G...
Thu, Nov 20 2014, 1:02 PM
If October sales of existing homes are an indication
2014 may come to a better conclusion than has been expected. The National Association of Realto...
Wed, Nov 19 2014, 12:48 PM
There has only been one story today for domestic bond markets, and that's been European bond markets! They tanked after one of Germany's most widel...
Wed, Nov 19 2014, 11:53 AM
October was a mixed month for new
residential construction data. More
permits were issued than in September but housing starts and completions w...
Wed, Nov 19 2014, 10:56 AM
Seattle's Zillow has published good news for the real estate industry . Its report
regarding hidden households and future housing activity indica...
Wed, Nov 19 2014, 9:37 AM
The week ended November 14 was a lackluster one for
mortgage activity. Mortgage applications
during the week, as measured by the Mortgage Bankers A...
Wed, Nov 19 2014, 7:25 AM
In the October 29th policy statement, the Fed said " market-based measures of inflation compensation have declined somewhat" which is a reference to ...
Wed, Nov 19 2014, 5:18 PM
For all the potentially complicated conclusions that can follow something as wordy and important as FOMC Minutes, today ended up being fairly cut and...
Wed, Nov 19 2014, 4:29 PM
Mortgage rates moved moderately higher today, bringing them back in line with some of last week's offerings but certainly not outside the recent ...
Tue, Nov 18 2014, 10:48 AM
New home builders regained some of the confidence in
the market they had displayed in September after wavering significantly in
October. The Na...
Tue, Nov 18 2014, 10:42 AM
Recently the commentary noted, "Maybe we should start at the grade school level and teach kids about money .
How to make a budget, manage debt, sav...
Tue, Nov 18 2014, 7:32 AM
I haven't seen much fuss made over tomorrow's FOMC Minutes yet, and that mostly makes sense. After all, asset purchases were ended at that meeting, a...
Tue, Nov 18 2014, 5:08 PM
A clearly-defined break to another record high in stocks and another huge day for corporate debt issuance presented two significant headwinds for bo...
Tue, Nov 18 2014, 3:40 PM
Mortgage rates barely budged today, but moved in the right direction on average. Several lenders were actually slightly higher in rate, but most...
Mon, Nov 17 2014, 12:41 PM
Japan's surprising poor GDP miss was the main event in the overnight session, resulting in bond market strength right out of the gate. Although Tre...
Mon, Nov 17 2014, 10:32 AM
This week I will spend time in California, Colorado, and Kansas,
and expect to hear from many folks about the state of the industry.
Unlike Japan,...
Mon, Nov 17 2014, 7:32 AM
I thought for a few minutes about this week's headline. Normally, I'd highlight the key events or considerations, but apart from Wednesday's FOMC Mi...
Mon, Nov 17 2014, 5:20 PM
If you wanted to see any significant movement in bond markets today, you had to be tuned in before 10am. Even then, most of the drama occurred right ...
Mon, Nov 17 2014, 3:42 PM
Mortgage rates moved moderately lower
again today, setting another new low for the month of November. That
said, the movement has been prima...
Mon, Nov 17 2014, 3:37 PM
Despite dire predictions from many quarters the
Federal Housing Administration's (FHA's) Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund (MMIF)
has returned to solve...
Mon, Nov 17 2014, 2:38 PM
The prognosticators are already gearing up
for the New Year and at least one foresees a strong economy in 2015. Freddie Mac's chief economist Frank ...
Fri, Nov 14 2014, 12:44 PM
Although cash sales ticked up slightly in August, a
pattern that has been maintained for 14 of the last 15 years, that share of all
home sales conti...
Fri, Nov 14 2014, 12:39 PM
Even through housing prices gained ground in the third
quarter of 2014 the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) said today
that affordabilit...
Fri, Nov 14 2014, 12:27 PM
This morning's Retail Sales report definitely didn't help make the case for a bond market rally. It's not that it beat expectations by much (only .3 ...
Fri, Nov 14 2014, 10:34 AM
Regardless of if you're a bank or not a bank, the decision to service loans is not one to be taken lightly. Regulators are drafting rules to
addre...
Fri, Nov 14 2014, 7:43 AM
It seems a bit oversimplified and a bit old-school to look to economic data as holding the key to a potential bond market rally. After all, economic ...
Fri, Nov 14 2014, 4:43 PM
Mortgage rates fell today , reaching levels not seen since late October. That may sound fairly positive--and of course, it's better than being at...
Fri, Nov 14 2014, 4:40 PM
Bond markets continue to put on a clinic in terms of avoiding anything meaningful or exciting . 3pm yields in 10yr Treasuries haven't varied by more...
Thu, Nov 13 2014, 12:35 PM
Bond markets were slightly weaker during Asian hours, but got their groove back during the European session. This wasn't so much a factor of economic...
Thu, Nov 13 2014, 10:06 AM
A surge in scheduled auctions sent the
overall rate of foreclosure activity surging in October. In its U.S.
Foreclosure Market Report released on ...
Thu, Nov 13 2014, 9:56 AM
The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) noted a significant
increase in new home sales in October.
MBA's estimate is based on responses to its Bui...
Thu, Nov 13 2014, 9:53 AM
The
amount of single young adults who are fully employed has increased from
25% in 1976 to 40% in 2013. But married young adults where both spouse...
Thu, Nov 13 2014, 7:33 AM
Sometimes after the last Treasury auction of any given week, we see a so-called "relief rally" where traders who were cautious, hesitant, or otherwi...
Thu, Nov 13 2014, 4:56 PM
Mortgage rates were sideways for the most part today, keeping the most prevalently quoted conforming 30yr fixed rates between 4.0 and 4.125%. Af...
Thu, Nov 13 2014, 4:49 PM
Bonds saw a rare post-8am rally today. Even though there were European considerations potentially contributing to the rally, recent positivity has be...
Wed, Nov 12 2014, 12:23 PM
Today's activity in bond markets leaves rates perfectly flat , on average , during the month of November. In other words, on a chart of 10yr yields...
Wed, Nov 12 2014, 10:29 AM
Many company's doc drawers and funders are coming back to work after Veteran's Day and realizing that there are only 18 funding days in November.
(E...
Wed, Nov 12 2014, 10:16 AM
Mortgage application volume declined slightly in all but
one category during the week ended November 7.
The Mortgage Bankers Association said tha...
Wed, Nov 12 2014, 7:40 AM
As bond markets get back to business today, the afternoon's 10yr Note auction will be important one way or another . Actually, that could be said wi...
Wed, Nov 12 2014, 5:03 PM
Mortgage rates began the day lower , but not too far from Monday's latest levels. As the day progressed, the bond markets that underlie rate move...
Wed, Nov 12 2014, 4:57 PM
Overnight trading was positive for bond markets with 10yr yields falling to 2.319 as they crossed into the domestic session. Slumping stocks and Euro...
Wed, Nov 12 2014, 3:34 PM
Seven years after the financial crisis the
private label securities (PLS) market is "barely clinging to life" , a Treasury
official said on Wednesd...
Mon, Nov 10 2014, 12:41 PM
There was active trading overnight among a diverse group of market participants. Most importantly, that group included what's known as "real money" b...
Mon, Nov 10 2014, 11:13 AM
The fun just doesn't end. Not only is a CFPB penalty against a lender rumored to be announced soon, but now we have the Rolling Stone doing a story ...
Mon, Nov 10 2014, 7:27 AM
With bonds closed on Tuesday for Veterans Day, market participation should be lighter than normal today. That said, it won't be as light as it would ...
Mon, Nov 10 2014, 4:34 PM
Mortgage rates were slightly higher today,
erasing some of the gains seen on Friday, but remaining well within the
recent range. The most pr...
Mon, Nov 10 2014, 4:34 PM
NOTE: It's "Notification Day" for Fannie and Freddie 30yr Fixed MBS. That means that November coupons will no longer be traded after today and thus ...
Mon, Nov 10 2014, 2:11 PM
Consumer attitudes toward housing and the
economy in general continued the slow improvement that has become the norm according
to results from the...
