by Alex Stenback
08.01.2011
Last Week: Many feared uncertainty over the debt ceiling dysfunction would drive mortgage rates higher. What actually happened was mortgages got cheaper by almost .25% as jittery investors sought safe haven in bond markets until the debt ceiling issue was resolved. Also helping rates: An armload of less than stellar economic data, including especially a weak [...]
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by Alex Stenback
06.29.2011
Pending sales, which measure contracts not closings (there’s always a little fallout due to inspections, appraisals, denied loans, cold feet, whatever) have been making some headlines of late. Nationally, via CBS Marketwatch: “Pending home sales rose 8.2% in May, partly bouncing back from a dismal April, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. The 13.4% [...]
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Weekly Mortgage Market Commentary: Monday, November 21st 2011
by Alex Stenback 11.21.2011Last Week: Mortgages chugged sideways last week. From Monday through Friday there was actually some modest improvement in raw pricing of mortgage bonds, but not enough to impact consumer facing rates, which remained virtually unchanged all week. Why the drama free week? Moderately OK economic data points in the US (weekly jobless claims average slipped [...]