Category Archives for "Mortgage Industry News"
Not every single day brings impactful changes or even much intrigue to the bond market. Accordingly, today might serve as a ‘filler’ day, depending solely on the result of this afternoon’s 10-year Treasury auction – the only notable event on the calendar. Despite the lack of thrills, the day compensates by being directionally harmless. Case in point, the yields have pleasantly decreased overnight and the terrain remains sturdy following a mild morning rollback. Even if the auction brings about substantial changes, it’s unlikely to match the potential turbulence that could come with tomorrow’s dual CPI/Fed event.
When it comes to interpreting today’s market shifts, conventional correlations aren’t presenting much clarity. That said, the most apparent link involves recent events that are both fresh and noteworthy. Unless you’ve kept up with foreign news, you’re not to be blamed for missing this, as it’s connected to political turbulence in France. Simply put, the associated apprehensions prompted French yields to steeply rise overnight, initiating a safety-seeking migration that was advantageous for U.S. and German debt. As of this morning, the minor fallback in Treasuries also aligns with a correction in the French market downturn.
Continue readingMonday saw a relatively calm trading day for bonds, even though it marked the start of a significant period of trading. No substantial economic reports were announced, though a somewhat undervalued 3-year Treasury auction prompted a minor increase in sales. However, this effect was short-term, with trading values returning to their initial state in just an hour and a half. This kept the day’s overall market mood veering between stable and slightly weaker as traders held their breath for potentially impactful data and events set for Wednesday.
Quick Review of Market Activity
At 09:58 AM, the market displayed minor weakness overnight and remained mostly unchanged since. The Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) dropped 3 ticks (.09), and the 10-year yield rose 1.5bps to 4.476.
By 01:40 PM, the market weakened slightly following the 3-year Treasury auction. The 10-year yield climbed by 2.8bps overall, reaching 4.489 on the day. Concurrently, the MBS in 6.0 coupons dipped by an eighth of a point.
At 03:20 PM, the market began to regain some of the losses recorded post-auction. MBS again dropped 3 ticks (.09), and the 10-year yield rose by 1.9bps, reaching 4.48.
Continue readingMortgage rates have been fluctuating notably in the last fortnight, experiencing a significant increase at May’s end, a considerable dip in early June, followed by another rise after Friday’s employment statistics were revealed. In absolute figures, these events represented around an up and down movement of approximately 0.30% for the traditional 30-year fixed rate mortgages. In comparison, today’s minor increase of 0.02% from Friday’s rates by the average lender almost goes unnoticed, which is to be expected considering the absence of significant information for bond market players (who fundamentally influence daily mortgage rate trends). However, this situation won’t last for long. Things are poised to alter rapidly with imminent key inflation data release and an anticipated updated rate announcement and outlook by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday. Despite the certainty of no rate alterations in this session, there should be more lucidity regarding the Federal Reserve’s perspective on the most current inflation tendencies.
Continue readingFor the past year, the bond market has significantly been influenced by the Consumer Price Index (CPI). There were moments in mid and late 2023 when the CPI brought a sense of optimism, indicating a potential decrease in inflation closer to the target. However, the story was different in Q1 2024, when a possible inflation rebound was suggested. This week’s CPI report does little to settle ongoing debates. Should the report exceed expectations, market players may continue their patient wait for stronger signs of inflationary shifts. On the other hand, if the CPI is lower than expected, Q1 could increasingly be seen as the final unpredicted inflationary push before a probable inflection point.
The release of the Federal Reserve’s latest dot plot only adds to this week’s significance – a factor that may not readily appear given the calm, sideways market performance at the start of the week.
In terms of events to watch out for today, the 1pm auction of 3-year Treasury notes stands out. Although shorter-term auctions are unlikely to trigger significant market reactions, they are nonetheless not to be ruled out.
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Continue readingDespite showing a consistently resilient performance against negative impacts all through the week, bonds took a hit following the release of Friday’s jobs report. The resultant rise in 10-year yields, towards a close of 15 basis points, was a consensus among traders, irrespective of whether they found fault with the fluctuating payroll data or not. Nevertheless, the Mortgage-Backed Securities (MBS) performed impressively, significantly minimizing the adverse effects on the rate sheet. Consequently, the week ended on a somewhat positive note compared to the previous one, with focus already shifting to the upcoming major events including the Consumer Price Index (CPI) on Tuesday and the Federal Reserve meeting on Wednesday.
Key economic data and events involved the Nonfarm Payrolls, which reported at 272k versus a forecast of 180k and a previous figure of 175k, and the Unemployment Rate at 4.0, as against a prediction of 3.9 and a prior score of 3.9.
Recap of market movements include significant weakness after job data was released, with 10yr up 13.7 bps at 4.425 and MBS down by over half a point. Following a modest bounce, morning losses still held at 11:12 AM. Despite slight fluctuation, neither MBS nor 10-year yields experienced much movement relative to their morning losses by 01:50 PM. The bond market essentially closed for the week at 03:43 PM, with trading levels still in line with the last update.
Continue readingThis week brought a decidedly positive inclination for interest rates, demonstrating a greater acceptance of news favoring lower rates and a determined effort to disregard negative news. However, a significant economic report this week tested this optimistic bias. The Nonfarm Payrolls (NFP), the headline feature of the Labor Department’s Employment Situation report and the most crucial among all job market reports, defied expectations with an unprecedented high result. Despite what seemed like a standard pattern in the nonfarm payrolls chart and a past record of higher job counts, the surprising figure of 272k for Friday outpaced the median forecast of 185k.
This unprecedented leap, an incredible climb from the previous 165k, appeared as a strong indicator of a labor market too robust to significantly impact the inflation issue. Indeed, the healthier employment scene implies more earnings and consumer spending. Consequently, the bond market’s bright perspective encountered a challenge too significant to disregard. Hence, the only motivation for mortgage rates to surge higher materialized this week.
However, the chart also highlights a silver lining. Although rates increased on Friday, they have yet to reach half of the previous week’s peak, let alone the end-of-April highs. A possible explanation for this resilience could be that the bond market prioritizes inflation information and the Federal Reserve’s interpretation when determining the level of concern about obstacles to lower rates. Please note, the source of the information is not included in this summary.
Continue readingWhether owing to the fateful blend of Treasury auction schedules and the onset of new month trading, or an authentic reaction to Monday’s ISM Manufacturing data, apparent agility was noted in the bond market prepping for an alteration in the economic growth rate. This view was so deeply ingrained that even an impressive ISM Non-Manufacturing result on Wednesday failed to hinder it. However, the morning’s phenomenal surplus in nonfarm payrolls (272k vs expected 185k) led the bond enthusiasts to submit to some degree.
So far, bonds haven’t responded positively.
If there is a silver lining, it’s based on the fact that yields have risen merely into the initial 4.4’s—not even mid-way to the zeniths of the previous week.
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Continue readingOn the cusp of significant market events, the performance of bonds continued to improve, albeit at a diminishing rate throughout the week. The slowdown was anticipated as the market, currently skewing bullish, awaits data that will confirm or reject this positive trend. After consecutive growth over five days and an unexpected surge after the ISM Services, the somewhat stable showing today implies underlying optimism for encouraging future data. As for the upcoming ‘main event’, uncertainty lingers on whether Friday’s jobs report will steal the limelight from the much-anticipated CPI next week.
In terms of economic data and events, the jobless claims stood at 229k, higher than the forecasted 220k and previous 221k. Challenger layoffs remained at 63.8k, matching the forecast.
Analyzing market movements, there was a moderate dip right after midnight which saw a slight recovery in the 9am hour. 10-year bonds had increased by 1.4bps clocking in at 4.29, while MBS dropped 1 tick (.03). By early afternoon, the market hovered around opening levels with MBS down 2 ticks (.06) and 10-year bonds increasing by 2bps to 4.295. Later in the afternoon, treasuries were close to their prime levels, but still up by 0.8bps at 4.284, while MBS fell by another tick (.03).
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