Builder confidence fell sharply in April as rising costs and economic uncertainty weighed on sentiment heading into the spring buying season. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) dropped four points to 34 , its lowest level since September 2025. The decline marks a notable setback after modest gains in […]
Builder Sentiment Drops to Seven-Month Low in April Read More »
Mortgage applications ticked higher last week, reversing recent declines as easing rates provided a modest boost to activity. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported a 1.8% increase on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending April 10. Refinance activity led the gain, with the Refinance Index rising 5% from the previous week and now
Mortgage Application Demand Finally Bounces Read More »
Existing-home sales pulled back in March, reversing February’s modest gains as affordability pressures and rising mortgage rates continued to weigh on buyer activity. Sales fell 3.6% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.98 million , slipping 1.0% below year-ago levels. “March home sales remained sluggish and below last year’s pace,” said NAR Chief Economist
Existing Home Sales Remain Flat in The Bigger Picture Read More »
The MBA’s National Advocacy Conference in DC wrapped up this week, and any time you have a gaggle of mortgage personnel in one place, talk in the hallways inevitably turned to current market conditions. For example, servicing rights have increased in value, and MSR trading multiples are in the mid 5x range for certain cohorts
Bonds were modestly and inconsequentially stronger in the overnight session. By 8am, this brought 10yr yields just under 4.30%. Less than an hour later, yields fell to 4.23 and MBS rose over 3/8ths of a point on a trio of headlines. The first was a detail from a proposed plan to end the war (involving
Why Are Bonds Surging This Morning? Read More »
Volatility Picked Up After a Slow Start This morning, more than halfway through the international trading day, bonds were on track for the narrowest trading range since February 24th. The low volatility didn’t last. Sellers surfaced in response to several war-related headlines. Bond yields followed oil prices higher from 9am through 1pm ET. That said,
Volatility Picked Up After a Slow Start Read More »
On average, today’s top-tier 30 year fixed mortgage rates are exactly the same as yesterday’s. Rates are driven by the bond market and bonds continue waiting for bigger developments in the Iran war. At the moment, the market is in a sort of limbo as time remains on the 2-week ceasefire. In the meantime, there’s
Mortgage Rates Hold Perfectly Steady Read More »
The U.S. Census Bureau released a downloadable file containing estimates of the nation’s resident population by single year of age and sex as of July 1, 2025. Nationwide lenders are always analyzing branch locations and market share. America’s post-pandemic relocation surge is losing momentum, with interstate migration falling to a decade low as once-booming Sun
Thursday has thus far been the slowest and most sideways day since February 24th, before the start of the Iran war. A lull in war-related developments is likely helping. While there are plenty of isolated headlines, the only thing the market really cares about is the timeline for the war to be over. As such, the
Slowest Day in Over a Month. No Reaction to Data Read More »
Very Small Token Pull-Back Nothing really happened on Wednesday as far as the bond market was concerned. Yields were technically a few bps higher thus preserving the phenomenon of rally momentum being limited to 48-hour windows since the start of the Iran war. Despite a barrage of war-related headlines, there was remarkably light volatility in
Very Small Token Pull-Back Read More »