Category Archives for "Mortgage Industry News"
In most cases, lenders have offered slightly reduced rates for several days in mid-May, with the exception of some rates going as far back as early April. In other words, today’s rates are verging on the lowest figures seen in the last three months. Whether to categorize this in the perspective of the past three months depends on incoming economic statistics.
The future Federal Reserve rate policy and subsequent impact on interest rates will be shaped by the anticipated reports on labor, economy, and inflation. This week will be particularly influential as it will include additional reports and Friday’s job report, often one of the significant determinants of rate fluctuations within a month.
Recently released data indicated fewer job openings than predicted for April. Despite this report not being as current as the one due on Friday (which concerns May), it has nonetheless held relevance over the last year. As a general rule, fewer job opportunities suggest decreased rates, assuming all other factors remain consistent.
Even so, the bond market, which largely influences rate changes, demonstrated a steady incline, even after considering the impact of the job opening data. This might hint at an expectation for the coming data to reflect a similar trend. The danger lies in the potential for data to surpass expectations, resulting in an unpredictable surge towards increased rates.
Continue readingHi Rob, I really appreciate the way you keep on focusing on the ongoing insurance challenges, similar to your discourse from yesterday. It seems that insurance firms are resorting to aerial surveillance via drones, planes, and satellites to assess homes, resulting in nationwide coverage termination for several homeowners. Speaking of technology, do you know about ‘ActivTrak’? It’s a tool that gauges an employee’s efficiency and commitment through the tracking of mouseXand keyboard activity. However, there are now softwares available that can mimic mouse movements—an intriguing chase of technology against technology indeed! With advancements in AI, how soon will it be able to produce its own code, achieving a speed and efficiency unimaginable for human coders? But here’s a thought: rather than making AI impersonate me or fabricate political speeches, I’d rather have tech experts working on more immediate problems, like making it easier to adjust my car clock during daylight saving changes. Similar to this, I don’t want biologists trying to recreate prehistoric creatures simply because they can. One fascinating development, though, is that the first drug for tooth regeneration has entered clinical trials—an amazing development for the Baby Boomers who might require it soon.
With respect to recruitment and industry updates, “Mega Capital” is on a massive expansion spree, hiring Account Executives and support staff to manage its growing footprint. The company recently launched mPOWERs, a new broker platform aimed at simplifying operations. In addition, improvements have been made to our Non-QM platform, MGenius, which now features an upgrade to serve brokers better with their NON QM concerns. Besides maintaining attractive rates for conventional and government loans, we are consistently enhancing our NON QM product offerings. We now have a 3-month bank statement program, asset utilization features, and refinancing options with just one’s mortgage rating. A standout in these offerings is our MVP program, with loans up to $3M, lower FICO requirements, transferable appraisals, no need for bank statements or tax returns, and several more benefits. Are you interested in collaborating with us? Contact your local AE or Mega Capital at 818 657 2600. As we continue our growth trajectory, we’re also scouting for top talent, especially AEs with a background in NON QM. For additional information, reach out to Ed Darrow at 818 657 2600 x340.” Please remember not to mention the source of this summary.
Continue readingThe domestic bond market has once more opened with 10-year yields notably lower compared to the previous day. This can be attributed to the influence of European bonds overnight, which in turn is a response to factors such as disappointing employment data, declining oil prices, and positive anticipation for the forthcoming announcement from the European Central Bank (ECB) on Thursday. Additionally, similar to yesterday, Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS) are not performing as efficiently as their Treasury counterparts, even when using a more equitable measurement like 5-year Treasuries. This might be due to a slight increase in supply in recently originated MBS alongside regular trends around Treasury auctions and the employment week. This trend might require further analysis if it persists into next week.
One practical way to assess MBS performance over different periods is by using MBS Live charts. A least a 5-day chart can be used, though a 1-3 month chart might be ideal. For instance, using a 1-month chart can show two recent peaks and troughs. The method is as straightforward as comparing each security’s performance in relation to the recent highs and lows. In this situation, MBS is still nearly 30% below its recent peak, whereas the 5-year yield is on the verge of returning to its recent low.
Continue readingDespite challenges in assimilating last week’s auction supply, US governement bonds have shown unwavering resilience since. The most significant market sway in recent times isn’t entirely credited to the auction cycle; economic statistics also played its part in shaping market reactions. The seeming underachievement in Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) at the week’s commencement is an anomaly we aim to resolve. Fluctuations ensuing the auction cycle, coupled with the outperformance seen in the long-dated bond yields, can cause MBS to lag slightly. The focal point of today’s analysis revolves around the ISM Manufacturing data, revealing a stunted headline and a drop in the “prices paid” section.
Economic Information / Activities
S&P Worldwide Manufacturing PMI
51.3 against a foreseen 50.9, a previous index of 50.0
ISM Manufacturing PMI
48.7 compared to a 49.6 forecast, 49.2 prior
ISM Rates Paid
57.0 versus the predicted 60.0, lastly at 60.9
Summary of Market Movement
09:46 AM MBS rising by three ticks, the 10-year yield dropping by 3.8bps at 4.46 – neither showing significant responses to PMI records.
10:06 AM 10-year down a further 8bps at 4.418, MBS growing by at least 6 ticks, with the potential for greater increase as the market fluidity boosts.
03:04 PM MBS plateauing at peak levels, up by a quarter point. Ten-year yields nearing optimal levels, down 9.5bps at 4.403.
Continue readingFollowing the Memorial Day holiday, mortgage rates experienced a rough patch for four days, particularly in the first two days of the week. However, the latter part of the week witnessed some recovering with Thursday and Friday helping rectify some of the initial damage caused. Despite this, lenders were still facing higher levels compared to the week prior to the long weekend. However, the current situation has shifted, bringing some changes.
The bond market, which determines rate movement, eagerly anticipated more economic indicators to inform its directional cues. This anticipation resulted in rates promptly reacting to today’s significant economic data. The ISM manufacturing index, a key benchmark followed by many, was reported lower than the median prediction both in terms of total activity and the component assessing pricing pressure.
Even though prices remain high according to the latest figures, a welcome shift in the opposite direction has occurred, consequently halting the worrying surge observed throughout the year so far. The bond market’s significant improvements have contributed to yet another pleasant dip in mortgage rates. As a result, the average lender has now returned to the lowest levels observed in nearly a fortnight. However, the rates have not plummeted to the lows recorded on May 15th yet.
Continue readingIn the realm of financial metrics, indicators like the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and the Non-Farm Payroll (NFP) are highly important, but they are not the only ones to consider. Apart from these, several other reports fall into a secondary category, amongst which 3-6 of them compete for their significance and influence each month. The Ism Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) typically stands out in this sect and consistently remains a strong contender impacting bond markets. This trend has continued with the recent manufacturing PMI report. Both the primary and inflation-related components reported weaker results than anticipated, prompting an immediate favourable move in the bond market with Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) witnessing an upswing by approximately a quarter point and a drop in 10-year yields by 9 basis points at 4.41% shortly after the data’s release.
Continue readingAlthough bonds were unable to fully recover from the initial damage sustained this week, they made up significant ground, ensuring a balanced near-term future. The slight drop in Core PCE’s reading largely contributed to the morning rally. Further help came from the Chicago PMI, which plummeted to its lowest point in over a decade, excluding the initial Covid-19 lockdown period. Despite the plummet, bonds stopped rallying shortly thereafter and maintained a steady pace for the rest of the day, marginally above the 4.50% technical mark. Despite this week’s noticeable volatility, the upcoming week holds even bigger potential as it brings the usual assortment of events typical for the first week each month, including ISMs, JOLTS, ADP, and NFP.
The Economic Data / Events were as follows:
The monthly Core PCE came in at 0.2 compared to the forecasted 0.3.
The yearly Core PCE remained as forecasted/previous at 2.8.
The Chicago PMI fell significantly to 35.4, below the forecasted 41.0 and the previous 37.9.
Market movements were as follows:
At 8:58 AM, the market was stronger following the PCE data, with MBS increasing by 5 ticks (.16) and the 10 year falling to 4.509.
By 10:03 AM, MBS further improved by 7 ticks (.22) and the 10 year fell to 4.491 following the Chicago PMI.
MBS were up 3 ticks (.09) at 1:11 PM despite falling from their highest levels, while the 10 year remained low at 4.511, up from a low of 4.49.
By 2:54 PM, the market was at its weakest in the afternoon, with MBS up by only 1 tick (.030) and the 10 year still down at 4.513.
Continue readingThe week started later than usual due to the Memorial Day holiday, which led to the stock markets remaining closed on Monday. However, soon after resuming work, traders set in motion a trend of increasing rates. It is often observed that during limited trading activity, such as post-long weekends, the bond market might experience sudden and unusual volatility. A case in point was Tuesday, where we witnessed the largest movement of the week, despite a relative lack of significant data. But that wasn’t to suggest there was no data present. Remarks from various Federal Reserve speakers were pondered upon, with Minneapolis Fed’s Kashkari’s statement about needing “many” further months of positive inflation data for a rate cut consideration being stand-out, given that most Fed speakers usually use “several” for the same context. Along with the commentary from the Fed, a short-scheduled Treasury auction was also in effect. The supply side of the supply-demand equation in the bond market is maintained through these periodic auctions. A high supply typically leads to decreased prices and escalated rates, assuming other factors remain constant. In this scenario, the supply magnitude is disclosed well beforehand, but the auction procedure gives an idea about the investor interest. The relatively decreased demand during this week’s auctions contributed to the rate hike during the first two days. Things took a turn for the better on Thursday, not just because the auctions had ended but also due to favorable amendments in the quarterly GDP data. Additionally, PCE inflation data on Friday provided an impetus to Thursday’s recovery.
Continue readingThe much-awaited report on the monthly core PCE inflation this week presented a welcome outcome for the bond market. The report tabulated a result of 0.2%, as opposed to the projected median of 0.3%. The bond market, which has been anxious about unexpectedly high inflation figures in the first quarter, was somewhat placated by these findings. Though there wasn’t a complete guarantee of victory as the unrounded figure at .249% represented a figure very close to rounding up to 0.3%. The silver lining lied with other elements in the report that favored the bond market. Coupling this with an unusually low Chicago PMI, the result was a positive start for bonds, reverting to the previous week’s range of 4.34-4.50. The summary doesn’t include information derived from a particular source like Realtor.com.
Continue readingThe quarterly and monthly Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) reports are often mixed up and confusing for those keeping up with rate changes. The monthly report, however, is the main focus. The quarterly data is merely a summarization of three monthly reports plus amendments, released concurrently with the GDP data updates. Today’s report revealed that inflation was marginally lower by an additional 0.1% than originally stated for the first quarter of this year (January to March). Will this impact tomorrow’s dedicated PCE numbers for April? Not this time. Although the monthly report was for March which one of the first quarter months, the new data is more captivating and up-to-date. Hence, if today’s outdated review influenced a slight rally, it suggests that there could be a potential market volatility on Friday if there’s another twist from the expected data.
Economic Data and Events
Unemployment Claims
Just slightly exceeding the forecast at 219k versus an expected 218k, and previous figures at
216k.
Core PCE Quarter to Quarter
Dropped from 3.7 to 3.6
First Quarter GDP Revisions
Final numbers matched the initial estimate of 1.3
Pending Home Sales
Dropped sharply by 7.7% against the forecasted drop of 0.6%, following the previous significant rise of 3.6%.
Summary of Market Movement
At 08:53 AM, the market had gained strength overnight and made further gains after data being released. MBS moved up by 7 ticks (0.22), and the 10-year yield fell by 4.2bps to 4.573.
By 11:17 AM, recorded additional gains with MBS climbing to 9 ticks (0.28) and a further drop in the 10-year yield to 4.55.
The market stayed steady at 1:33 PM peaking at the best levels. There was a continued increase to 10 ticks (0.31) in MBS and a fall of 7.2bps to 4.543 in the 10-year yield.
At 03:41 PM, the market remained relatively stable but below peak levels. MBS was up by 9 ticks (0.28), and the 10-year yield fell slightly to 4.553.
Continue reading