Wednesday, October 27th
Wednesday’s bond market has opened in positive territory, extending the recent momentum in bonds and mortgage pricing. Stocks are showing moderate gains with the Dow up 43 points and the Nasdaq up 82 points. The bond market is currently up 12/32 (1.56%), which with strength late yesterday should allow this morning’s mortgage rates to be approximately .250 of a discount point lower than Tuesday’s early rates.
12/32
Bonds
30 yr - 1.56%
43
Dow
35,800
82
NASDAQ
15,317
Trailing 90 Days - National Average
High
Neutral
September’s Durable Goods Orders report was posted at 8:30 AM ET this morning, revealing a 0.4% decline in new orders for big-ticket products at U.S. factories. This was stronger than the 0.8% decline that was expected, but since this data is known to be volatile from month to month, the variance was not as relevant as it would have been in other reports. Also, August’s increase was revised lower by 0.5% and a secondary reading for September that excludes more costly and volatile airplane related orders was a tad weaker than predicted. Overall, we can consider the report to be mixed or neutral for mortgage rates.
Medium
Unknown
We also have the 5-year Treasury Note auction results to watch this afternoon. If they show a strong demand from investors, particularly international buyers, we could see bonds strengthen later today. At best, this will have a slight impact on rates. Results will be posted at 1:00 PM ET, making this an early afternoon event for mortgage rates. This process will be repeated tomorrow with 7-year Notes being sold.
High
Unknown
Besides the 7-year Note auction, we also will get two pieces of economic data tomorrow. One of those releases, the initial reading of the 3rd Quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is a major economic report. The 8:30 AM ET report is considered to be the benchmark measurement of economic growth because it is the total of all goods and services produced in the U.S. Accordingly, it is likely to have a big impact on the financial markets and mortgage pricing. There are three versions of this report, each a month apart. Tomorrow’s release is the first version and usually has the biggest influence on the markets. Current forecasts show the economy expanded at a 2.5% annual pace during the July through September months. If this report shows a noticeably smaller increase, I am expecting to see the bond market rally and mortgage rates fall further. However, a much larger than expected rise could lead to bond selling and an increase in mortgage pricing.
Medium
Unknown
Tomorrow’s other economic data will be last week’s unemployment claims at 8:30 AM ET. They are expected to show 291,000 new claims for benefits were filed during the week, nearly unchanged from the previous week. Rising claims is a sign of employment sector weakness, so the higher the number tomorrow, the better it will be for mortgage rates. Keep in mind though, this is only a weekly report that will require a significant variance from forecasts to cause a noticeable move in rates.
If I were considering financing/refinancing a home, I would.... Lock if my closing was taking place within 7 days... Lock 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.