Several Suggests that this Time may be Different

After the false starts of 2010 and 2011, the U.S. economy may finally be on the path toward a strong recovery, Lawrence Summers, former Treasury secretary and currently Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard, wrote in an opinion piece in the Financial Times on Monday.

In the springs of 2010 and 2011, many observers who thought they detected evidence that the economy had decisively turned around were disappointed a few months later, Summers wrote.

“Several considerations suggest that this time may be different,” he said.

Among them, he listed employment growth that has been running “well ahead” of population growth for some time, a higher U.S. stock market, and the fact that expected market volatility is “lower than at any time since 2007.”

He also cited pent-up demand from consumers who have long put off purchases of new cars and other durable goods, and signs that the housing market is beginning to stabilize.

“For years now, the rate of new families setting up households has been well below normal as more and more young people have moved in with their parents,” Summers wrote. “At some point they will set out on their own, creating a virtuous circle of a stronger housing markets, more ‘family formation’ that boosts demand, further improvement in housing conditions and so on.”

What Happened to Rates Last Week:

Mortgage backed securities (MBS) gained a very modest +8 basis points from last Friday to the prior Friday which helped mortgage rates to pull back from their highs (Mortgage rates have an inverse relationship to mortgage backed security prices).

We saw our highest mortgage rates of 2012 on Tuesday.

This was primarily due do the continued sell off of Treasuries and mortgage backed securities by banks that were no longer forced to hold them after passing the latest “stress test” by the Fed.

We had a mixed bag of housing data as there was a pickup in  Housing Starts and Building Permits but Existing Home Sales came in lighter than market expectations..

What to Watch Out For This Week:

The following are the major economic reports that will hit the market this week. They each have the ability to affect the pricing of Mortgage Backed Securities and therefore, interest rates for Government and Conventional mortgages. I will be watching these reports closely for you and let you know if there are any big surprises:

It is virtually impossible for you to keep track of what is going on with the economy and other events that can impact the housing and mortgage markets. Just leave it to me, I monitor the live trading of Mortgage Backed Securities which are the only thing government and conventional mortgage rates are based upon.

Bull Market in Bonds Nearing an End?

Mortgage rates have seen historic lows due to a long-running bull market in bonds.  Specifically, mortgage backed securities. Demand has far exceeded supply which has driven down mortgage rates.  As demand starts to pull back, mortgage rates will begin to move upward.

Say goodbye to the longest bull market for bonds in history. The market is at a turning point, say portfolio managers—some of whom are running the nation’s largest bond funds. The reason: growing worries about inflation . While it is not a problem right now, there are several strong economic factors that typically lead to higher prices down the road.

Rates are already starting to rise, even without the Fed. This week, Treasuries and Mortgage Backed Securities saw a sharp sell-off, bringing yields—which move opposite to prices—to their highest level since October.

Rising yields, when coupled with inflation, are a double-whammy to the value of bonds.

With job growth comes purchasing power and pricing pressure on businesses and consumers. Yigal Jhirad, portfolio manager for Cohen & Steers, thinks this pressure is already underway.

While significant inflation and higher mortgage rates are still far down the road, it is clear that they are on the horizon.  This is actually a good thing for housing.  The housing market has always performed better in the “sweet spot” of mortgage rates which is in that 5.50% to 7.00% range.

What Happened to Rates Last Week:

Mortgage backed securities (MBS) lost -93 basis points from last Friday to the prior Friday which pushed mortgage rates significantly higher from the prior week and marks the second straight week of higher mortgage rates.

We have received month after month of positive economic news which would normally pressure mortgage rates upward but due to global instability, mortgage rates have benefitted from strong demand in MBS which have offset the positive economic news.

But bonds started to sell off in a big way last week which pushed mortgage rates higher.

Why?  Because banks started to dump their vast holdings of Treasuries and MBS.

Banks had to hold on to capital while they were undergoing the Fed’s “stress test”.  The “stress test” results were released last week and as a result, each bank definitively knew how much excess capital they had.

This meant that they could finally liquidate their holdings of their very low yielding mortgage backed securities….this caused demand for MBS to fall off which pushed mortgage rates upward.

What to Watch Out For This Week:

The following are the major economic reports that will hit the market this week. They each have the ability to affect the pricing of Mortgage Backed Securities and therefore, interest rates for Government and Conventional mortgages. I will be watching these reports closely for you and let you know if there are any big surprises:

It is virtually impossible for you to keep track of what is going on with the economy and other events that can impact the housing and mortgage markets. Just leave it to me, I monitor the live trading of Mortgage Backed Securities which are the only thing government and conventional mortgage rates are based upon.

Consumer Sentiment Moves off of Highs

Americans turned less optimistic about the economy in early February on worries about falling income even as their outlook on the jobs market rose to a record high, a survey released on Friday showed.

The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Index of Consumer Sentiment fell back in February with a preliminary score of 72.5 that is 2.5 pts lower than January’s score of 75.

Current conditions, and more precisely a negative tone towards current finances, was the heaviest drag. Even though optimism towards the job market kept up, the CSI was unable to hang on to sentiment expressed last month. Market expectations averaged to 74.5.

The optimism in their job outlook is encouraging though and is certainly reflective of the steady string of better than expected Initial Weekly Jobless Claims and the recent decline in the national Unemployment Rate.  As these trends in lower Unemployment continue, look for the Consumer Sentiment to regain some ground.

What Happened to Rates Last Week:

Mortgage backed securities (MBS) lost -26 basis points from last Friday to the prior Friday which moved mortgage rates higher on a week-over-week basis.  That also marked a -68 basis point drop in MBS pricing from our all time high on 02/02/12.
Mortgage backed securities (and therefore mortgage rates) moved sideways during the week with only minor movements in reaction to the 10 year and 30 year U.S. Treasury auctions.  But MBS did sell off on Friday on news that Greece would come through with another austerity package that would qualify them for additional bailout funds.
The Greek story has been an important one for mortgage rates.  Mortgage rates are artificially too low due to increased demand for U.S. bonds as a pure “safety play” against a European financial collapse.  A default by Greece would start a “domino effect” of other countries defaults too.  So, any positive news that a default is postponed will cause our rates to increase.

What to Watch Out For This Week:

The following are the major economic reports that will hit the market this week. They each have the ability to affect the pricing of Mortgage Backed Securities and therefore, interest rates for Government and Conventional mortgages. I will be watching these reports closely for you and let you know if there are any big surprises:

It is virtually impossible for you to keep track of what is going on with the economy and other events that can impact the housing and mortgage markets. Just leave it to me, I monitor the live trading of Mortgage Backed Securities which are the only thing government and conventional mortgage rates are based upon.