The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reports that its Market Composite Index, a measure of total mortgage loan application volume, fell 2.5% in the week ended February 1, 2019. The MBA said the refinance index was near unchanged while the purchase index declined 5%.
Mortgage rates edged lower in the latest week to the lowest levels since April 2018. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell seven basis point to 4.69% with an average of 0.45 in points. Joel Kan, the MBAs Associate Vice President of Industry Surveys and Forecasts said, "Moderating price gains and the strong job market, including evidence of faster wage growth, should help purchase growth going forward."
U.S. stocks are taking a breather today after the big gains seen since the lows seen on Christmas Eve. The closely watched S&P 500 Stock Index is up 16% since the low of 2,351 at the close on December 24. The index is now just 6% below its all-time closing high of 2,930 hit back on September 20 of last year. The recent gains are due in part to a reversal in the Fed's monetary policy outlook from hawkish to dovish along with solid readings from the labor markets.
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