Mortgage Rates Move Lower for Second Consecutive Week

Mortgage Rates Plunge to 3-Year Lows

For the second consecutive week mortgage rates moved lower, and are currently the lowest since May 2013.

“The 10-year Treasury yield continued its free fall this week as global risks and expectations for the Fed’s June meeting drove investors to the safety of government bonds,” says Sean Becketti, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “The 30-year mortgage rate responded by falling 6 basis points for the second straight week to 3.54 percent — yet another low for 2016. Wednesday’s Fed decision to once again stand pat on rates, as well as growing anticipation of the U.K.’s upcoming European Union referendum will make it difficult for Treasury yields and — more importantly — mortgage rates to substantially rise in the upcoming weeks.”

Freddie Mac reports the following national averages with mortgage rates for the week ending June 16:

• 30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.54 percent, with an average 0.5 point, falling from last week’s 3.60 percent average. Last year at this time, 30-year rates averaged 4 percent.
• 15-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 2.81 percent, with an average 0.5 point, dropping from last week’s 2.87 percent average. A year ago, 15-year rates averaged 3.23 percent.
• 5-year hybrid adjustable-rate mortgages: averaged 2.74 percent, with an average 0.5 point, down from last week’s 2.82 percent average. A year ago, 5-year ARMs averaged 3 percent.

While it’s nice to see mortgage rates staying low, we have to remember that low rates come only because the Fed feels like the economy still needs a prop. This has been going on since the Great Recession started in 2008. We can’t root for low rates (aka a “weak economy”) forever.

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