Tag Archives: Optimal Blue

Government shutdown could bring mortgage rates down

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Investors seeking safety in bonds and mortgage-backed securities can bring rates down. Yields on 10-year Treasurys fell 4 basis points on first day of shutdown. Continue reading →

Should they stay or go (down) now? Forecasters are split on where mortgage rates will be in 2026

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In predicting that mortgage rates will drop below 6 percent next year, economists at Fannie Mae are more optimistic about growth and less worried about inflation than their colleagues at the Mortgage Bankers Association. Continue reading →

Fed signals it’s just getting started with 1/4 percentage point rate cut

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Recent Trump appointee Stephen Miran was the lone dissenter in Wednesday’s 11-1 vote, holding out for a bigger, 1/2 percentage point rate cut advocated by the president. Continue reading →

Homeowners rush to refinance as mortgage rates hit 2025 low

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Homebuyer loan applications flooded in last week at the second-highest level of the year. Demand for adjustable-rate mortgage loans is at the highest level since 2008. Continue reading →

Rising inflation makes ‘jumbo’ Fed rate cut unlikely next week

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Initial jobless claims climbed last week to the highest level since Oct. 23, 2021, but investors and economists are expecting three small rate cuts this year rather than a dramatic move next week. Continue reading →

Homebuyer demand surges as mortgage rates tumble to 2025 low

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Applications for purchase mortgages hit their highest level since July last week, and rates keep falling on weak jobs reports and more encouraging inflation data Continue reading →

Massive downward jobs revision not budging mortgage rates

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Rebenchmarking that suggests the U.S. added 911,000 fewer jobs than previously thought generates political heat but was widely expected by economists and investors. Continue reading →

Mortgage rates plummet to new 2025 low on anemic jobs report

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Investors who fund most home loans are no longer wondering whether the Federal Reserve will cut rates this month, but by how much. At least three quarter-percentage point rate cuts are now expected this year. Continue reading →

Homebuyers are out in force and mortgage rates are coming down

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With 7.24 million Americans out of work in July and payroll growth slowing, the Fed is expected to pivot from fighting inflation to preserving jobs. Continue reading →

Mortgage rates drop sharply as Powell shifts stance on rate cuts

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Investors pushed bond yields and mortgage rates down Friday after Fed chair says policymakers are starting to see unemployment as a bigger risk to the U.S. economy than inflation. Continue reading →