Rate Lock Advisory

Sunday, May 24th

This holiday-shortened week brings us the release of six relevant monthly and quarterly economic reports for the markets to digest in addition to a couple of potentially relevant Treasury auctions. None of the reports are considered to be key data though. The financial and mortgage markets will be closed tomorrow in observance of the Memorial Day holiday and will reopen for regular trading Tuesday morning. Accordingly, we will not be updating this report tomorrow.

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Bonds

Market Closed

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Dow

Market Closed

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NASDAQ

Market Closed

Mortgage Rate Trend

Trailing 90 Days - National Average

  • 30 Year Fixed
  • 15 Year Fixed
  • 5/1 ARM

Indexes Affecting Rate Lock

Medium

Unknown

Consumer Confidence Index (Conference Board)

The Conference Board starts the week's calendar with their Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) at 10:00 AM Tuesday. This data measures consumer willingness to spend. If the index rises, it indicates that consumers felt better about their personal financial and employment situations than they did last month and therefore are more apt to make large purchases in the near future. If confidence is sliding, analysts think consumer spending may slow in the near future. The latter is good news for the bond market because consumer spending is such a big portion of the U.S. economy. A decline in the index should boost bond prices and push mortgage rates lower Tuesday morning while a larger than expected reading would likely cause rates to move slightly higher. It is expected to show a reading of 88.3, up from April's 86.9 reading.

Low

Unknown

New Home Sales

Also late Tuesday morning will be the release of April's New Home Sales report. This data gives us a small measurement of housing sector strength and future mortgage credit demand but probably will not have much of an impact on mortgage pricing. Analysts are expecting to see a decline in sales from March's level, meaning the new home portion of the housing sector softened last month.

Medium

Unknown

Treasury Auctions (5,7,10,20,30 year securities)

Wednesday does not have any morning economic releases but does have two afternoon events that we will be watching. The first is the 5-year Treasury Note auction, which will be followed by the 7-year Note sale Thursday. Neither of these sales will directly impact mortgage pricing, although they can influence general bond market sentiment. If the sales go poorly, we could see broader selling in the bond market that leads to a slight upward revision to mortgage rates. On the other hand, strong sales usually make bonds more attractive to investors, bringing more funds into the market. The buying that follows often translates into lower mortgage rates. Results of the sales will be posted at 1:00 PM ET each auction day, so look for any reaction to come during early afternoon hours Wednesday and/or Thursday.

Medium

Unknown

Fed Beige Book

The second afternoon event is the Federal Reserve's Beige Book that is named simply after the color of its cover. This report details economic conditions throughout the U.S. by Federal Reserve region. It is relied upon heavily by the Fed to determine monetary policy during their FOMC meetings. It is expected to show significant weakness since the last report, which would be favorable to mortgage rates. It will be posted at 2:00 PM ET, meaning if it is going to affect rates, it will happen during mid-afternoon hours.

High

Unknown

GDP Rev 1 (month after initial)

Thursday brings us an important monthly and quarterly report along with the weekly unemployment update. One is the first revision to the 1st quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The GDP is the sum of all goods and services produced in the U.S. and is considered to be the best measurement of economic growth or contraction. Last month's preliminary reading revealed that the economy contracted at an annual rate of 4.8%. Analysts expect to see little change in this update. If the revision comes in stronger than the last estimate, we may see the bond market react negatively and mortgage rates move higher because it would mean the economy was not a weak last quarter as previously thought. Since bonds tend to thrive in weaker economic conditions, a larger than expected rate of contraction would be good news for mortgage rates.

High

Unknown

Durable Goods Orders

The monthly report set for Thursday morning is April's Durable Goods Orders. This data gives us an indication of manufacturing sector strength by tracking orders at U.S. factories for big-ticket products. These are items made with an expected life span of three or more years such as airplanes, appliances and electronics. It is currently expected to show a decline in new orders of approximately 17.0%, showing that the manufacturing sector weakened significantly last month. That would be good news for the bond market and mortgage rates, but it won’t be a surprise considering the impact the pandemic was having on the country last month. This data is known to be quite volatile from month to month under normal circumstances. Therefore, a small variance from forecasts will likely have little impact on Thursday's mortgage rates. The larger the decline, the better the news it is for mortgage rates.

Medium

Unknown

Personal Income and Outlays

Friday has two reports set for release, starting with April's Personal Income and Outlays data at 8:30 AM ET. This Commerce Department report gives us an indication of consumer ability to spend and current spending habits. A decline in income means that consumers have less money available to spend. Since consumer spending makes up over two-thirds of our economy, this data can cause movement in the financial markets and mortgage rates. Current forecasts are showing a 6.0% decline in income and a 13% drop in spending due to the shutdown. Larger declines would be considered good news for bonds and mortgage rates as they would show that the economy is in worse shape than expected.

Medium

Unknown

University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment (Rev)

The last mortgage-related data of the week will come from the University of Michigan late Friday morning when they update their Index of Consumer Sentiment for May. This type of data is watched fairly closely because when consumers are feeling more confident about their own financial situations, they are more likely to make a large purchase in the near future. Rising confidence and the higher levels of spending that usually follow are considered negative news for bonds and mortgage rates. Friday's report is expected to show an increase from this month's preliminary reading of 71.8. A higher reading would be considered bad news for bonds and mortgage pricing while a large downward revision should help boost bond prices and lead to a slight improvement in rates.

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Unknown

None

Overall, Thursday is a good candidate for the most active day for rates due to the importance of the Durable Goods Orders and GDP reports. Friday also may be active with two reports and a speaking engagement for Fed Chairman Powell late morning. The calmest morning will probably be Wednesday, but there is a chance of seeing afternoon movement. With so much going on this week, it would be prudent to keep an eye on the markets if still floating an interest rate and closing in the near future.

Float / Lock Recommendation

If I were considering financing/refinancing a home, I would.... Lock if my closing was taking place within 7 days... Float if my closing was taking place between 8 and 20 days... Float if my closing was taking place between 21 and 60 days... Float if my closing was taking place over 60 days from now... This is only my opinion of what I would do if I were financing a home. It is only an opinion and cannot be guaranteed to be in the best interest of all/any other borrowers.