Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09-08-2009

Here's your Daily Commentary report compliments of Jeff Drew and Star Mortgage!


Tuesday’s bond market has opened flat after the holiday weekend with no relevant economic data scheduled for release today and only minor gains in the stock markets. The major stock indexes have opened the week relatively calm with the Dow up 32 points and the Nasdaq up 7 points. The bond market is nearly unchanged from Friday’s close, but we will still likely see an increase of approximately .125 of a discount point over Friday’s morning rates.

This week brings us the release of only three pieces of economic data, but none of them are considered to be highly important. In addition to the economic releases, we also have two Treasury auctions that may play a role in this week’s mortgage pricing.

The first release of the week comes Wednesday afternoon. The Federal Reserve will release its Beige Book report at 2:00 PM ET Wednesday. This report details current economic conditions in the U.S. by region. It is believed to be a key source of data when the Fed meets for their FOMC meetings and is usually released approximately two weeks prior to each meeting. If it reveals any significant surprises, we may see movement in the markets and mortgage pricing as analysts adjust their theories on the Fed’s next move. Most likely…..


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©Mortgage Commentary 2009

* Please note that this information reflects just one opinion on the current market. If you are considering a purchase or refinance and have a mortgage rate and monthly payment you are comfortable with you may want to consider locking that mortgage rate. It is very difficult to predict the market in these very volatile times. Most lenders have a mortgage rate renegotiation policy. Contact Jeff Drew for details. Jeff@StarMortgage.com

Monday, September 7, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary week of Sept 6 2009

Here's your Daily Commentary report compliments of Jeff Drew and Star Mortgage!


This week brings us the release of only three pieces of economic data, but none of them are considered to be highly important. In addition to the economic releases, we also have two Treasury auctions that may play a role in this week’s mortgage pricing. The markets are closed tomorrow in observance of the Labor Day holiday, meaning mortgage lenders will follow suit.

The first release of the week comes Wednesday afternoon. The Federal Reserve will release its Beige Book report at 2:00 PM ET Wednesday. This report details current economic conditions in the U.S. by region. It is believed to be a key source of data when the Fed meets for their FOMC meetings and is usually released approximately two weeks prior to each meeting. If it reveals any significant surprises, we may see movement in the markets and mortgage pricing as analysts adjust their ...


To read the rest of the story click on “mortgage”: mortgage



©Mortgage Commentary 2009

* Please note that this information reflects just one opinion on the current market. If you are considering a purchase or refinance and have a mortgage rate and monthly payment you are comfortable with you may want to consider locking that mortgage rate. It is very difficult to predict the market in these very volatile times. Most lenders have a mortgage rate renegotiation policy. Contact Jeff Drew for details. Jeff@StarMortgage.com

Friday, September 4, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09/04/2009

Here's your Daily Commentary report compliments of Jeff Drew and Star Mortgage!


Friday's bond market has opened in negative territory after today's major employment news did not reveal significantly weaker than expected readings. The stock markets have reacted mildly to the news though with the Dow up just 30 points and the Nasdaq up 8 points. The bond market is currently down 12/32, which will likely push this morning's mortgage rates higher by approximately .125 of a discount point over yesterday’s morning rates.

The Labor Department reported this morning that the unemployment rate moved from 9.4% in July to 9.7% last month. This was higher than the 9.5% rate that was expected, which can be considered good news for bonds and mortgage rates. However, only 216,000 jobs were lost during the month when analysts were expecting to see a slightly larger decline. A revision to July's job loss number showed that 276,000 jobs were lost compared to the 247,000 announced last month. But this worked against bonds today because the 216,000 now shows a larger improvement from July to August than what was predicted.

Also hurting bonds this morning is the average hourly earnings reading in the report that revealed a 0.3% rise in earnings. This was much higher than the 0.1% that was expected, meaning earnings rose more than many had thought. That is bad news for bonds because rising wages raises wage inflation fears than can lead to …..


To read the rest of the story click on “mortgage”: mortgage



©Mortgage Commentary 2009

* Please note that this information reflects just one opinion on the current market. If you are considering a purchase or refinance and have a mortgage rate and monthly payment you are comfortable with you may want to consider locking that mortgage rate. It is very difficult to predict the market in these very volatile times. Most lenders have a mortgage rate renegotiation policy. Contact Jeff Drew for details. Jeff@StarMortgage.com

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09/03/2009

Here's your Daily Commentary report compliments of Jeff Drew and Star Mortgage!


Thursday’s bond market has opened in negative territory after the stock markets opened with minor gains and there was no important economic data on the calendar to influence trading. The Dow is currently up 25 points while the Nasdaq has gained 5 points. The bond market is currently down 4/32, which will likely push this morning’s mortgage rates higher by approximately .125 of a discount point.

The only semi-relevant economic data posted today was last week’s unemployment figures from the Labor Department and the ISM services index. Many traders are waiting for tomorrow’s major news before making adjustments to their portfolios. The Labor Department reported this morning that 570,000 new claims for unemployment benefits were filed last week and the ISM index revealed a reading of 48.4. Both of these were very close to expectations but neither are considered to be of much importance to the markets. Therefore, the bond market has been mostly influenced by stock trading and preparation for tomorrow’s news.

Yesterday’s afternoon release of the FOMC minutes didn’t have much of an impact on trading or mortgage rates. They revealed that the Fed is still optimistic about an economic recovery, but at a slow pace. They are still concerned about the vulnerability of the recovery and particularly the labor market and they also did not reference a significant concern about inflation …..


To read the rest of the story click on “mortgage”: mortgage



©Mortgage Commentary 2009

* Please note that this information reflects just one opinion on the current market. If you are considering a purchase or refinance and have a mortgage rate and monthly payment you are comfortable with you may want to consider locking that mortgage rate. It is very difficult to predict the market in these very volatile times. Most lenders have a mortgage rate renegotiation policy. Contact Jeff Drew for details. Jeff@StarMortgage.com

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09/02/2009

Here's your Daily Commentary report compliments of Jeff Drew and Star Mortgage!


Wednesday’s bond market has opened in positive territory following early volatility in stocks and favorable economic data. The stock markets have fluctuated between positive and negative ground this morning, but the Dow and Nasdaq are both currently up a couple of points. The bond market is up 4/32, which with yesterday’s late strength should improve this morning’s mortgage rates by approximately .250 of a discount point compared to yesterday’s morning rates.

The 2nd Quarter Productivity revision was posted early this morning, showing an annual rate of 6.6%. This was a little higher than expected, which is good news for bonds and mortgage rates because strong levels of worker output allows the economy to grow without inflation concerns.

The second relevant report was July’s Factory Orders data. It showed a smaller than expected increase in new orders. The 1.3% increase instead of the forecasted 1.5% indicates that manufacturing activity was not as strong as expected. This is also good news for bonds and mortgage rates, but …..


To read the rest of the story click on “mortgage”: mortgage



©Mortgage Commentary 2009

* Please note that this information reflects just one opinion on the current market. If you are considering a purchase or refinance and have a mortgage rate and monthly payment you are comfortable with you may want to consider locking that mortgage rate. It is very difficult to predict the market in these very volatile times. Most lenders have a mortgage rate renegotiation policy. Contact Jeff Drew for details. Jeff@StarMortgage.com

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09-01-09

Here's your Daily Commentary report compliments of Jeff Drew and Star Mortgage!


Tuesday’s bond market is in negative territory after this morning’s primary economic release showed a much stronger than expected reading. The stock markets are showing losses with the Dow down 88 points and the Nasdaq down 12 points. The bond market is currently down 5/32, but I don’t think we will see much of a change in this morning’s mortgage rates due to strength late yesterday.

Today’s big news came from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), who posted their manufacturing index for August late this morning. They reported a reading of 52.9 that was stronger than analysts had expected, indicating manufacturer sentiment is growing. This was the first time this index was above 50 since January 2008. That is considered bad news for bonds and mortgage rates because it points towards a strengthening economy. However, a note in the report says that manufacturers are not planning on hiring new workers anytime soon. This helps support the theory that the job market will remain weak for some time, likely preventing a rapid economic recovery. The result was a minimal impact on this morning’s bond trading and mortgage rates.

Tomorrow brings us three events for the markets to digest. The first is the revision to the 2nd Quarter Productivity numbers, which measures employee productivity in the workplace. Strong levels of productivity allow the economy to expand without inflation concerns. It is expected to show a downward change from the previous estimate of a 6.4% annual pace. Forecasts are currently calling for …..


To read the rest of the story click on “mortgage”: mortgage



©Mortgage Commentary 2009

* Please note that this information reflects just one opinion on the current market. If you are considering a purchase or refinance and have a mortgage rate and monthly payment you are comfortable with you may want to consider locking that mortgage rate. It is very difficult to predict the market in these very volatile times. Most lenders have a mortgage rate renegotiation policy. Contact Jeff Drew for details. Jeff@StarMortgage.com

Monday, August 31, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 08/31/09

Here's your Daily Commentary report compliments of Jeff Drew and Star Mortgage!


Monday’s bond market has opened in positive territory following early stock weakness. The stock markets are ending the month on a negative note with the Dow down 90 points and the Nasdaq down 25 points. The bond market is currently up 6/32, which will likely improve this morning’s mortgage rates by approximately .250 of a discount point.

There is no relevant data scheduled for release today, so look for the stock markets to directly affect bond trading and mortgage rates the rest of the day. If the major stock indexes fall further, we may see bond prices rise more and mortgage rates revise lower this afternoon.

The first piece of data comes tomorrow morning with the release of the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) manufacturing index at 10:00 AM ET. This index measures manufacturer sentiment and is expected to show an increase from last month’s reading of 48.9. A reading above 50 means that more surveyed manufacturers felt business improved during the month than those who felt it worsened. A larger than expected increase in the index will probably cause …..


To read the rest of the story click on “mortgage”: mortgage



©Mortgage Commentary 2009

* Please note that this information reflects just one opinion on the current market. If you are considering a purchase or refinance and have a mortgage rate and monthly payment you are comfortable with you may want to consider locking that mortgage rate. It is very difficult to predict the market in these very volatile times. Most lenders have a mortgage rate renegotiation policy. Contact Jeff Drew for details. Jeff@StarMortgage.com