Highest Mortgage Rates in Months
This week, the U.S. economy saw its highest mortgage rates in months. Characterized by extremely strong economic reports, impressive early 2021 retail sales kicked off the New Year.
2021 Mortgage Rates and What’s Influencing Them
Early 2021 mortgage rates have hovered around record lows, despite an abundance of economic news. After the close of 2020, uncertain times continued into 2021.
January 2021 Inflation
January 2021 inflation remains low, capping off a relatively quiet week for mortgage-backed securities. Overall, investors are divided on the inflation outlook for later in the year.
Mixed Labor Market Data
This past week saw mixed labor market data. However, it was a relatively quiet week for mortgage-backed securities overall.
Rising Inflation
The United States economy experienced rising inflation this past week. For mortgage-backed securities, this offset COVID-19 concerns.
December 2020 Home Sales Remained Strong
Wrapping up last year, December 2020 home sales remained strong. Mortgage rates ended slightly lower after an uneventful week.
Mortgage-Backed Securities Activity Heading into 2021
There was little mortgage-backed securities activity heading into 2021. However, the end of 2020 was an eventful one for the economy.
Stimulus Package Affects Rates
As the stimulus package affects rates, the mortgage industry saw volatility. However, rates ended with little change after other news.
2021 Georgia Senate Runoff Election Impact
The Democratic Party swept the 2021 Georgia Senate runoff election, an unfavorable result for mortgage rates. While Friday's labor market report was mixed, this week's other major economic data was extraordinarily strong.
Housing Momentum Continues into 2021
Housing momentum continues into 2021 as December shows off a white-hot market. Typically, the end of December exhibits very light trading volume and limited investor reaction to economic news.
Retail Sales Fall Short
After a wide array of economic releases, the impact saw retail sales fall short. Overall, there was no shortage of economic news.
Low Inflation
It was another relatively quiet week for mortgage markets, seeing low inflation. The European Central Bank meeting met expectations.