Mortgage Rate Forecast for Massachusetts for April 29, 2010
Here are some of the events affecting mortgage rates today in Massachusetts:
What Mortgage Backed Securities Are Doing Today:
- The price of the FNMA 30-Year 4.5% MBS coupon opened at 100.41 this morning - same as yesterday's close.
- At 9:30 AM, the 4.5% MBS coupon was trading at 100.44 - up !/32 from its opening.
Remember, on mortgage backed securities (MBSs), as the price goes up, the yield comes down - and so do mortgage rates. I expect that mortgage rates will be about the same in price this morning as compared to yesterday.
Price Trend in Mortgage Backed Securities:
The chart below shows the price trend of the FNMA 30-Year 4.5% coupon over the past 30 days from 3-30-2010 to 4-29-2010:
Economic Reports, News, and Events Affecting Mortgage Interest Rates in Massachusetts Today:
- Jobless Claims - 448,000 new claims for unemployment were filed last week, the lowest level in 4 weeks. This is 1,000 more than expected, but 11,000 less than the previous week. The four-week average for unemployment is up by 1,500 to 462,500. Continuing claims for the week of April 17 fell by 18,000 to 4.645 million. All signs indicate the economy has been recovering of late - but without an increase in jobs. This data is usually not considered to be very important to the mortgage market and had no effect on mortgage rates this morning.
The Treasury Dept. will be auctioning $32 billion of 7-Year Notes today. The Notes and Bonds are used to finance the massive government debt. If there is a strong demand for the Notes, we should see the bond market move higher (resulting in lower mortgage rates) during afternoon trading. However, a lackluster interest from buyers, particularly international investors, would indicate a waning appetite for longer-term U.S. securities and lead to a broader selling in bonds and mortgage backed securities. The selling of mortgage backed securities could result in higher mortgage rates.
What's Happening With Mortgage Interest Rates in Massachusetts Today:
Moderate to High Volatility. Mortgage rates are off their historic lows, and while they rose significantly a couple of weeks ago, they have since come back down a bit. But this may be temporary.
The overall economy is improving without any increase in jobs. The Fed has also ended their purchases of mortgage backed securities. In addition, the federal deficit continues to grow while demand for US debt is waning. We're also entering the prime home selling and buying season. Historically, mortgage rates rise and fall with the thermometer. Usually from this time of the year and into the summer months, as the weather warms, mortgage rates rise.
As such, there's little or no potential for lower mortgage rates anytime soon. If you're happy with the interest rate being offered to you today and if you don't want to risk mortgage rates moving higher, then you should apply and lock in now. It's better to have locked when you should have floated than it is to float when you should have locked.
If I were applying for a mortgage today, I would lock in my rate. However, if I were to continue floating my rate, I would proceed with caution and maintain contact with my mortgage professional. I would be ready to lock in at a moment's notice as mortgage rates can change for the worse.
Be sure to check out today's Massachusetts mortgage rates.
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