06
Jul
By Jim Hasek
Market Outlook, ,

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – July 6, 2015

Last week's housing-related economic events included the Case-Shiller Home Price Index reports for April, the Commerce Department's Pending Home Sales report and a report on Construction Spending. In other economic news, Non-Farm Payrolls, the ADP Employment report and Consumer Confidence reports were released. Freddie Mac's mortgage rates summary and the weekly unemployment claims report were released as usual. Case-Shiller: Home Price Growth Slows in April The Case-Shiller 20-City Home Price Index reported that year-over-year home prices slowed in April with a reading of 4.20 percent as compared to the March reading of 4.30 percent. David M Blitzer, chairman of the…
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29
Jun
By Jim Hasek
Market Outlook, ,

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – June 29, 2015

Last week's economic news was largely positive as both new and existing home sales beat expectations. FHFA reported that home price growth held steady in May, while weekly jobless claims edged up, but were lower than expected. New and Existing Home Sales Exceed Expectations According to the Commerce Department, new home sales reached 546,000 on an annual basis for May. This surpassed expectations for 525,000 new homes sold and April's revised reading of 534,000 new homes sold. Expectations were based on the original reading of 517,000 new homes sold in April. Existing home sales rose by 5.10 percent in May…
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08
Jun
By Jim Hasek
Market Outlook, ,

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – June 8, 2015

Last week's economic news included reports on construction spending, Freddie Mac's mortgage rates survey and several employment related reports. The details: Construction Spending Jumps The Commerce Department reported that construction spending reached its fastest annual pace since November 2008. Most of the momentum was caused by construction of apartments, commercial projects and roads, and construction of single family homes. Builders spent 2.20 percent more in April than they did in March, which equated to an annual outlay of $1.01 trillion for all types of construction spending. Analysts said that increased spending in construction indicated that the housing sector could see…
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01
Jun
By Jim Hasek
Market Outlook, ,

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – June 1, 2015

Last week's economic reports included the Case-Shiller Home Price Indexes, FHFA's House Price Index and Pending Home Sales from the Commerce Department. The details: Home Prices Dip in March, Pending Home Sales Up According to the Case-Shiller 20-City Housing Market Index, the national reading for average home prices dipped in March. The 20-City Index moved from February's year-over-year home price growth of 4.20 percent to an average year-over-year home price growth rate of 4.10 percent in March. San Francisco, California reclaimed the top spot for home price growth of 10.30 percent year-over-year. The Federal Housing Finance Agency reported results that…
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26
May
By Jim Hasek
Market Outlook, , ,

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – May 26, 2015

Last week's economic reports included several readings related to housing The Wells Fargo/National Association of Home Builders Housing Market Index, the Commerce Department's releases on Housing Starts and Building Permits, and the National Association of Realtors® report on Existing Home Sales supplied mixed news on recent developments in housing. Freddie Mac and the Labor Department released their usual reports on mortgage rates and weekly jobless claims. The details: NAHB: Builder Confidence Slips, But Remains Positive The Wells Fargo/ National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) released its Housing Market Index report for April. Although April's reading was two points lower at…
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18
May
By Jim Hasek
Market Outlook, ,

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – May 18, 2015

Last week's economic reports included data from the Federal Reserve on student loan debt, job openings and retail sales. Weekly jobless claims and Freddie Mac's survey of average mortgage rates were released as usual on Thursday. A report on consumer sentiment wrapped up the week's scheduled economic new. Federal Reserve: Student Loan Borrowers Struggle with Payments  In two reports issued by the New York and St. Louis branches of the Federal Reserve, researchers found that high numbers of student loan borrowers are behind in making payments. According to the New York Fed, 11.10 percent of student loan borrowers were 90…
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