The last 3 weeks have not been good ones for the Mortgage world. Last week was a crazy up and down week that ended up only slightly negative by the close on Friday, but bumpy enough along the way that it left many feeling queasy. almost every day last week had some VERRRRY negative moments but the market was able to come back to almost even each day.
The initial sell off a few weeks ago that has rates up now was mostly because of stocks jumping above the 10k mark. This piece of positive news was not taken well in the credit markets. and if you read any of my blogs on the subject, you will know that Good News is BAD news for interest rates.
This weeks calendar is a busy one:
- MondayOctober 26: Treasury auction of $7Billion 5 year IIS. This is an inflation indexed security so it is typically well accepted. Ahead of the auction the market was not doing well, but it regained some of its ground since it started.
- TuesdayOctober 27: October Consumer Confidence expected 53.5. It really doesn't matter what consumers think. What matters most is what they are actually doing. So this number is not expected to move things in the market. You can feel bad, but still spend money!
- Tuesday: Second auction of the week with $44Billion in 2 year notes. The shorter term notes have been fairly well received, and this one is likely to draw decent bidding from foreign and domestic investors. Not likely to move things today.
- WednesdayOctober 28: September Durable Goods Orders expected +1% ex auto +0.7%. There have been surveys that may point towards a surprise in factory activity. If we get surprised with a number stronger than the forecast here it will not be a good day for rates.
- Wednesday: Auction #3 for the week with $41Billion in 5 year notes. This one is a nail-biter. We need this to be well bid. There is enough supply here that a poorly bid auction will send ripple effects through the entire credit market... (which is NOT good for mortgage rates). If it is well bid we will see steady rates.
- ThursdayOctober 29: 1st estimate of third quarter GDP, expected +3.2%. As I have mentioned in previous blogs... Inventory has been bled dry over the first half of the year, that is why this number looks so strong, it is due to businesses replacing inventory. As forecast it is most likely supportive of steady to possibly a slightly higher rate, it would take a number weaker than 2.5% to help bring rates lower.
- Thursday: Initial Jobless claims expected down 6,000. likely to be supportive of steady rates.
- Thursday: Auction #4 with $31 Billion in 7 year notes. This one may be more important than the 5 year. We will see what the investment world thinks about prospects for the economy into the future based on how well bid this auction is. If poorly bid, that means they think the economy is improving and want a higher yield to commit to a rate for 7 years. So that "Good News" is a bad thing for interest rates. This one could fall on either side of the fence.
- FridayOctober 30: September personal income expected to be flat, Spending to be -0.5% and PCE index +0.2%. The PCE piece of this is the exact number that Trumps Tuesday's confidence number. if consumption is up more than forecast it will not be good. But a weaker PCE will definitely be supportive of lower rates.
The biggie of the week has to be the record $123 Billion in the auctions. Supply is always an issue in any market. So far this year we have been lucky with enough activity and enough investment in the auctions to keep rates from being hurt along the way. Keep your fingers crossed for these. The numbers themselves are most likely priced into the market and not likely to be big movers unless there is a surprise. The Auction is an unknown and unpredictable event that we will have to wait and see.
The trend over the last 3 weeks has bee towards higher rates, could be be due for a positive week? It is hard to tell. I would play it safe and Lock in.
Have a great week!
Rob
Robert Rauf
Mortgage Banker
www.RobertRaufHomeLoans.com or my blog: http://activerain.com/blogs/rrauf
(732)223-1630 x102
Since 1987 I have been helping my clients fulfill their dream of home ownership!
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Rob - So glad to hear from you again. I'm sure you've been busy in this crazy market but it's always good to read your reports. I still have a floater in escrow but it's not looking good. We've got appraisal repair issues and I don't know if he's going to hang in there. We're working through it. If he continues we may just lock in to be safe.
I don't know what everyone is complaining about in regards to rates. We're still seeing 5% par rates! I swear, every time I hear someone complaining about 5% rates, I want to smack them upside the head and tell them to "shut the !#$% up". Good Grief!