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Weekly Rate Lock Advisory

This week is extremely busy in terms of economic data scheduled for release and will likely be an active week for mortgage rates. The number of releases is actually irrelevant due to the importance of the some of the reports. There are seven economic releases scheduled for the week in addition to the first Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting of the year. All but two of the releases scheduled are considered to be of moderate or high importance, meaning we should see quite a bit of movement in mortgage rates this week. 

The first report of the week is tomorrow's release of December's Existing Home Sales. It gives us a measurement of housing sector strength by tracking resales of existing homes. It is one of the week's least important reports, therefore, it will likely not have a significant impact on bond trading or mortgage rates unless it varies greatly from forecasts, which are calling for a sizable decline in sales.

January's Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) will be released Tuesday morning. This report is considered to be of high-importance to the bond market and therefore can move mortgage rates. It is an indicator of consumer sentiment, which is important because a decline would be construed as a sign that consumers may be less willing to make large purchases in the near future. Since consumer spending makes up two-thirds of the U.S. economy, market participants are very attentive to related data. A reading smaller than the expected 53.5 would be ideal for the bond market and mortgage rates.

December's New Home Sales report, the sister release to Monday's Existing Home Sales, will be posted late Wednesday morning. It is expected to show an increase in sales of newly constructed homes, but is not important enough to heavily influence mortgage pricing. 

Also Wednesday is this year's first FOMC meeting. It will begin Tuesday and adjourn at 2:15 PM ET Wednesday. It is expected to yield no change to short-term interest rates, but as is often the case, traders will be looking for any indication of the Fed's next move and when they may make it. I believe that there is little chance of indicating a possible rate hike in the near future, so I don't believe that this meeting will have the influence they usually do. 

Thursday morning brings us the release of December's Durable Goods Orders. This data helps us measure manufacturing strength by tracking new orders at U.S. factories for products that are expected to last three or more years. The data often is quite volatile from month to month, but is currently expected to show an increase in orders of approximately 2.0%. A smaller than expected increase would be considered good news for bonds and mortgage rates. 

Next up is Friday, which has three reports scheduled for release. The first of them is arguably the single most important reports that we see regularly. The initial reading of the 4th Quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) will be posted early Friday morning. This data is so important because it is considered to be the best measure of economic growth. The GDP itself is the total sum of all goods and services produced in the United States. Its' results usually have a major impact on the financial markets and can cause significant changes in mortgage rates. There are three readings to each quarter's activity, each released approximately one month apart. The first, which usually carries the most volatility, is expected to be an increase of 4.6%. A noticeably weaker reading would be great news for the bond market, questioning the pace of the economic recovery. That would likely fuel stock selling and a rally in bonds that would push mortgage rates lower Friday morning.

The 4th Quarter Employment Cost Index (ECI) is also scheduled for release early Friday morning. It measures employer costs f or employee wages and benefits, giving us an indication of the threat of wage inflation. It usually has more of an effect on the bond market than the stock markets. Current forecasts are showing an increase of 0.4%. A lower than expected reading would be favorable to bonds and mortgage rates, but the GDP reading will be the biggest influence on trading and rates Friday morning. 

The last report of the week is the revised reading to the University of Michigan's Index of Consumer Sentiment. This index measures consumer confidence, which is thought to indicate consumer willingness to spend. I don't see this data having much of an impact on the markets or mortgage rates due to the importance of the employment index and GDP figures. 

And if we didn't have enough to watch already, there are two relatively important Treasury auctions for the markets to digest. The Fed will auction 5-year and 7-year Treasury Notes Wednesday and Thursday, respectively. If they are met with a strong demand from investors, the broader bond market may rally during afternoon hours those days. However, a lackluster interest in the sales could lead to bond selling and higher mortgage rates.

Overall, look for Tuesday or Friday to be the biggest days for mortgage rates. Friday's GDP is the single most important piece of data this week, but we may see quite a bit of movement in rates Tuesday also. If we see weaker than expected results from the most important reports, mortgage rates should close the week much lower than last Friday's closing levels. If the data shows stronger than expected results, we may see mortgage rates move higher for the week. This is of course, assuming that the Fed meeting doesn't reveal any surprises. I strongly recommend that fairly constant contact is maintained with your mortgage professional this week if still floating an interest rate.

If I were considering financing/refinancing a home, I would.... Lock if my closing was taking place within 7 days... Lock if my closing was taking place between 8 and 20 days... Float if my closing was taking place between 21 and 60 days... Float if my closing was taking place over 60 days from now... This is only my opinion of what I would do if I were financing a home. It is only an opinion and cannot be guaranteed to be in the best interest of all/any other borrowers. 

Weekly Rate Lock Advisory 

This week brings us the release of three pieces of economic data to digest, but only one is considered to be of high importance. It is also a shortened trading week with the stock and bond markets closed tomorrow in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. The financial and mortgage markets will reopen Tuesday morning for regular trading hours. Accordingly, there will be no update to this report tomorrow morning.

The first two reports will be released early Wednesday morning. The Labor Department will post their Producer Price Index (PPI) and the Commerce Department will release December's Housing Starts data, both at 8:30 AM. The PPI is much more important to the markets and mortgage rates because it measures inflationary pressures at the producer level of the economy. It is the sister report to last week's Consumer Price Index (CPI) that didn't give us any major surprises. Analysts are expecting to see no change in the overall reading and a 0.1% increase in the more important core data reading that excludes volatile food and energy prices. Unexpected increases, particularly in the core reading, could mean higher mortgage rates Wednesday.

December's Housing Starts helps us measure housing sector strength and future mortgage credit demand by tracking construction starts of new homes. It is not considered to be one of the more important releases each month, so I don't see it causing much movement in mortgage rates Wednesday.

The Leading Economic Indicators (LEI) for December is the last piece of data of the week. It will be released late Thursday morning, attempting to measure economic activity over the next three to six months. It is considered to be of moderate importance to the bond and mortgage markets. Analysts are currently expecting to see a 0.7% increase, meaning that economic growth over the next few months should rise fairly rapidly. A smaller than expected increase would be good news for the bond market and mortgage rates, but a larger than expected rise could lead to bond selling and a minor increase to mortgage pricing Thursday. 

Overall, Wednesday will likely turnout to be the most important day of the week with the PPI scheduled. If it meets expectation or is lower than forecasts, we could see mortgage rates close the week lower than Tuesday's opening levels. Generally speaking, I suspect this may be a fairly quiet week for mortgage rates, at least compared to the last couple of weeks.

If I were considering financing/refinancing a home, I would.... Lock if my closing was taking place within 7 days... Float if my closing was taking place between 8 and 20 days... Float if my closing was taking place between 21 and 60 days... Float if my closing was taking place over 60 days from now... This is only my opinion of what I would do if I were financing a home. It is only an opinion and cannot be guaranteed to be in the best interest o f all/any other borrowers. 

Weekly Rate Lock Advisory 

Monday's bond market has opened in positive territory following a calm open in stocks. The major stock indexes are showing minor losses with the Dow down 5 points and the Nasdaq down 10 points. The bond market is currently up 6/32, which will likely improve this morning's mortgage rates by approximately .125 of a discount point over Friday's morning rates.

There is no relevant economic news scheduled for release today. It is the only day of the week that does not have some type of data or relevant events scheduled. The rest of the week brings us the release of six pieces of economic data to digest along with two important Treasury auctions. The most important data is being released the latter part of the week, so we will likely see the most movement in rates then.

The first economic data is also the week's least important release. November's Goods and Services Trade Balance will be posted early tomorrow morning. It measures the size of the U.S . trade deficit and is expected to show a $34.5 billion deficit. This data usually does not directly affect mortgage rates, but it does influence the value of the U.S. dollar versus other currencies. A stronger dollar makes U.S. securities more attractive to international investors because they are worth more when sold and converted to the investor's domestic currency. But unless we see a significant variance from forecasts, I don't believe this data will lead to a change in mortgage rates tomorrow.

The Federal Reserve will post its Fed Beige Book report at 2:00 PM ET Wednesday. This report, which is named simply after the color of its cover, details economic conditions throughout the U.S. by region. Since the Fed relies heavily on it during their FOMC meetings, its results can have a fairly big impact on the financial markets and mortgage rates if it reveals any surprises.

The two important Treasury auctions come Wednesday and Thursday when 10-year Notes and 30-year Bonds are sold. The 10-year sale is the more important one as it will give us an indication for demand of mortgage-related securities. If the sales are met with a strong demand from investors, we should see the bond market move higher during afternoon trading the days of the auctions. But a lackluster interest from buyers, particularly international investors, would indicate a waning appetite for longer-term U.S. securities and lead to broader bond selling. The selling in bonds would result in upward revisions to mortgage rates.

Overall, Thursday or Friday will probably end up being the most important day of the week. The single most important report is Friday's CPI, but Thursday's Retail Sales report is a close second. Both are considered to be of high importance and can heavily influence the markets. Therefore, I strongly recommend maintaining contact with your mortgage professional this week, especially the latter part if still floating an in terest rate.

If I were considering financing/refinancing a home, I would.... Lock if my closing was taking place within 7 days... Float if my closing was taking place between 8 and 20 days... Float if my closing was taking place between 21 and 60 days... Float if my closing was taking place over 60 days from now... This is only my opinion of what I would do if I were financing a home. It is only an opinion and cannot be guaranteed to be in the best interest of all/any other borrowers. 

This week bring us the release of only three monthly reports that are relevant to the bond market and mortgage rates, but two of them are considered to be highly important. In addition to those three reports, we also will get the minutes from the last FOMC meeting that may influence the markets and possibly mortgage rates.

The first report is the Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) manufacturing index for December late tomorrow morning. This highly important index measures manufacturer sentiment. A reading above 50 means that more surveyed manufacturing executives felt that business improved during the month than those who felt it had worsened. That indicates manufacturing sector strength rather than contraction. Analysts are currently expecting to see a 54.0 reading in this month's release, meaning that sentiment rose slightly from November's 53.6. A smaller reading will be good news for the bond market and mortgage shoppers while a higher than expected reading could lead to higher mortgage rates tomorrow morning.

The Commerce Department will post November's Factory Orders data late Tuesday morning. This data gives us a fairly important measurement of manufacturing sector strength. It is similar to the Durable Goods Orders release that was posted late last week, except this report includes orders for both durable and non-durable goods. Durable goods are items that are expected to last three or more years such as electronics and autos. Examples of non-durable goods are food and clothing. Analysts are expecting to see an increase of 0.5% in new orders. This report generally does not have a huge impact on the bond market or mortgage rates, but it can influence bond trading enough to create a minor change in rates. The smaller the increase, the better the news for mortgage rates.

Wednesday's only relevant news is the release of the minutes from the last FOMC meeting. This will give market participants insight to the Fed's thinking and concerns regarding inflation and monetary policy. It is one of those pieces of information that may cause a great deal of volatility in the markets or be a non-factor, depending on what the minutes show. They will be released at 2:00 PM ET, so they shouldn't affect the markets or mortgage rates until afternoon hours.

The final report of the week comes Friday morning when the Labor Department will post December's employment figures. The Employment report is considered to be one of the most important monthly releases we see. It gives us the national unemployment rate, the number of jobs added or lost during the month and average hourly earnings, which is a key measure of wage inflation. Rising unemployment, a larger than expected drop in new payrolls and a small increase or even a decline in earnings would be good news for the bond market.

Current forecasts call for a 0.1% increase in the unemployment rate, pushing it to 10.1%. Analysts are expecting to see little change in payrolls from November's payrolls with earnings rising 0.2%. If we see weaker than expected results, mortgage rates should improve Friday. However, stronger than expected readings will likely push mortgage rates higher.

Overall, the key data of the week will be Friday's Employment report, but look for tomorrow and Wednesday to be important due to the economic data and FOMC minutes scheduled. If they give us favorable results, mortgage rates will likely move lower for the week. But if not, we will probably see mortgage rates move higher.

If I were considering financing/refinancing a home, I would.... Float if my closing was taking place within 7 days... Float if my closing was taking place between 8 and 20 days... Float if my closing was taking place between 21 and 60 days... Float if my closing was taking place over 60 days from now... This is only my opinion of what I would do if I were financing a home. It is only an opinion and cannot be guaranteed to be in the best interest of all/any other borrowers.

Weekly Rate Lock Advisory 

This week brings us the release of only one piece of economic data that is considered important to mortgage rates in addition to two important Treasury auctions. It is another holiday-shortened week with the New Years Day holiday Friday, so the data may have a heavier impact on trading than usual if it varies from forecasts by much. The bond market will close early Thursday and remain closed Friday as it did last week. With that type of schedule, many traders will not be working the latter part of the week, so any unexpected news or data may lead to a larger than usual reaction in the markets.

There is no relevant news scheduled for release tomorrow. Look for any significant changes in stocks to drive bond trading and mortgage rates. If the major stock indexes remain fairly calm, it is possible that bond prices and mortgage rates may follow suit.

The first important release comes late Tuesday morning when the Conference Board will post its Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) for December. This is a pretty important release because it measures consumer willingness to spend. If consumers are more confident in their personal financial situations, they are more apt to make large purchases. Since consumer spending makes up two-thirds of the U.S. economy, any related data is watched closely by market participants and can have a significant influence on mortgage rate direction. Current forecasts are calling for an increase in confidence from November's reading of 49.5. Analysts are expecting Tuesday's release to show a reading of 53.0. The lower the reading, the better the news for bonds and mortgage pricing.

This week also has Treasury auctions scheduled the first three days. The two that are most likely to influence mortgage rates are Tuesday's 5-year and Wednesday's 7-year Note sales. If those sales are met with a strong demand, particularly Wednesday's auction, bond prices may rise during afternoon trading. This could lead to improvements to mortgage rates shortly after the results of the sales are posted at 1:00 PM ET each day. But a lackluster investor demand may create bond selling and upward revisions to mortgage rates.

The bond market will close at 2:00 PM ET Thursday and all of the U.S. financial markets will be closed Friday in observance of the New Year's Day holiday. They will reopen for regular hours next Monday morning.

Overall, as we saw last week, a shortened trading week by no means translates into calmness. The thin trading often creates larger than usual fluctuations in the major indexes. Despite last week's shortened schedule, we saw plenty of movement in mortgage rates. This week likely will be the same as investors look to make year-end adjustments to their portfolios. Accordingly, I recommend keeping in contact with your mortgage professional if still floating an interest rate and closing in the immediate future.

If I were considering financing/refinancing a home, I would.... Lock if my closing was taking place within 7 days... Float if my closing was taking place between 8 and 20 days... Float if my closing was taking place between 21 and 60 days... Float if my closing was taking place over 60 days from now... This is only my opinion of what I would do if I were financing a home. It is only an opinion and cannot be guaranteed to be in the best interest of all/any other borrowers.