We ended August and started September with a little rally in the mortgage-backed securities market. Economic figures, while better than the last few months, aren’t pointing to a sustainable economic recovery. The Fed noted that inflation is hardly at the top of their list in the near future:
After accounting for these factors, the underlying pace of core inflation seemed to be running a little higher than the staff had anticipated. Survey measures of inflation expectations showed no significant change. Nonetheless, with the unemployment rate anticipated to increase somewhat during the remainder of 2009 and to decline only gradually in 2010, the staff still expected core PCE inflation to slow substantially over the forecast period; the very low readings on hourly compensation lately suggested that such a process might already be in train.
That should be good for mortgage rates but there is a tempest in the teapost-a-brewin’. The Fed might pull back on its mortgage-backed securities purchase program:
“We have to begin to pull back from our extraordinary programs,” Philadelphia Fed President Charles Plosser said yesterday while noting a risk of faster inflation in the future. Speaking in an interview with CNBC, he declined to say whether the Fed should begin raising the main interest rate next year.
Today, the Fed is 2/3 of the way through this “extraordinary” program. The Fed originally committed $1.25 trillion, schedled to end this December. THIS is the looming reason I believe traders will drive rates up after Labor Day. My September, 2009 mortgage rates outlook is for rates to rise to the 5.5% level and subside back to the current 5.0% level in early October.
I think it’s prudent to lock September settlements immediately. Late October settlements should have an opportunity to get a rate in the low 5′s after a scary spike this month.
It’s amazing how much the dollar dropped this week… and gold rose from $950 to almost $1000. But mortgage rates dropped – Looks like the fed has been piling in!
September 5th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Hopefully the mortgage rates will stay low through the fall real estate season.
September 8th, 2009 at 7:20 am
I agree Brandon.
Rob for Atlanta Real Estate
September 8th, 2009 at 7:32 pm
As long as rates remain low there is some hope. But a mortgage market that consists basically of Fannie, Freddie and FHA is unchartered territory. Unless you know your history.
September 15th, 2009 at 3:26 pm
This discouraging situation is happening more often as homeowners across the nation embrace green products for their homes
October 23rd, 2011 at 3:06 am