Monday, November 9, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 11/9



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

Monday’s bond market has opened up slightly despite early stock gains. The stock markets are rallying this morning, pushing the Dow to a one year high. It is currently showing a gain of 140 points while the Nasdaq is up 50 points. The bond market is currently up 3/32, which should improve this morning’s mortgage rates by approximately .125 of a discount point.

There is no relevant economic data scheduled for release today. In fact, there is no relevant data scheduled until Friday morning. There are two important Treasury auctions this week that may influence …

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©Mortgage Commentary 2009

Massachusetts mortgage applicants: Please note that this information reflects just one opinion on the current market and should be used for informational purposes only. Today’s mortgage market is very volatile and can change very quickly. www.JeffDrew.StarMortgage.com

MA Mortgage Rate Commentary- The week ahead


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

This week brings us the release of only two relevant economic reports but neither of them is considered to be highly important. There are two important Treasury auctions this week that may influence mortgage rates more than the minor economic data that is scheduled. It is also a holiday-shortened week with …

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



©Mortgage Commentary 2009

Massachusetts mortgage applicants: Please note that this information reflects just one opinion on the current market and should be used for informational purposes only. Today’s mortgage market is very volatile and can change very quickly. www.JeffDrew.StarMortgage.com

Friday, November 6, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 11/6/09



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

Friday’s bond market has opened in positive territory following the release of weaker than expected employment figures. The stock markets are reacting relatively well to the news with the Dow up 10 points and the Nasdaq up 8 points. The bond market is currently up 8/32, which should improve this morning’s mortgage rates by approximately .250 of a discount point.

The Labor Department reported this morning that the U.S. unemployment rate spiked to 10.2% last month, reaching its highest level since April 1983. Analysts were expecting to see it move slightly to 9.9%. The number of jobs lost during the month stood at …

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



©Mortgage Commentary 2009

Massachusetts mortgage applicants: Please note that this information reflects just one opinion on the current market and should be used for informational purposes only. Today’s mortgage market is very volatile and can change very quickly.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

FANNIE MAE ANNOUNCES “DEED FOR LEASE” PROGRAM

11/5/09
Fannie Mae announced a new foreclosure prevention program that is called the “Deed for Lease Program”. This program was designed to help struggling borrowers facing foreclosure to stay in their homes.
The borrower must transfer the property back to the lender through a “deed in lieu of foreclosure” and then they may be able to lease the property from the lender. This program was designed for borrowers who could not take advantage of a refinance or loan modification and are facing foreclosure.
“This new program helps eliminate some of the uncertainty of foreclosure, keeps families and tenants in their homes during a transitional period, and helps to stabilize neighborhoods and communities” according to a statement from Jay Ryan, Vice President of Fannie Mae.
For a list of guidelines, qualifying criteria and answers to other frequently asked questions visit Fannie Mae’s website

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 11-05



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

Thursday’s bond market has opened down slightly following another stock rally. The stock markets are showing strong gains with the Dow up 182 points and the Nasdaq up 42 points. The bond market is currently down 5/32, which will likely keep this morning’s mortgage rates near yesterday’s levels.

This morning’s release of the 3rd Quarter Productivity data gave us favorable results. It showed a spike in productivity of a 9.5% increase. This was much stronger than expected, but that is good news for bonds for this type of data. Strong levels of…

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, November 4, 2009

MA Mortgage Rate Commentary 11.04



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

Wednesday’s bond market has opened in negative territory again as investors prepare for today’s FOMC news. Early stock gains are also contributing to this morning’s bond losses. The Dow is currently up 99 points while the Nasdaq has gained 14 points. The bond market is currently down 7/32, which will likely push this morning’s mortgage rates higher by approximately .125 of a discount point compared to yesterday’s morning rates.

There is…

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, November 2, 2009

Mass Mortgage Rate Commentary 11/02

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Monday’s bond market has opened in negative territory due to early stock strength and stronger than expected economic news. The stock markets are starting the week with sizable gains. The Dow is currently up 104 points while the Nasdaq is showing a 15 point gain. The bond market is currently down 6/32, but we will likely see little change to this morning’s mortgage rates due to strength late Friday.

Today’s only relevant economic data came from the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), who said that their manufacturing index stood at 55.7. This was higher than the 53.0 that was…

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

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary week of 11/1/09



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

This week brings us the release of four relevant economic reports for the markets to digest with two of those reports being much more important than the other two. In addition to the factual reports, we also have another FOMC meeting to work around this week. This leads me to believe that we will see another active week for mortgage rates.

The first report comes late tomorrow morning when the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) will post their manufacturing index. The index measures manufacturer sentiment, which is important because…

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, October 30, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary Oct 30



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

Friday’s bond market has opened in positive territory after this morning’s economic data failed to show any significant surprises and the stock markets opened with losses. Stocks are starting the next leg of their recent roller coaster ride with sizable losses. The Dow has given back over half of yesterday’s rally with a loss of 109 points so far. The Nasdaq is not fairing much better with a 20 point loss. The bond market is currently up 11/32, but I don’t believe we will see much of a change in this morning’s mortgage rates compared to yesterday’s morning rates due to weakness in bonds late yesterday.

The first of today’s three reports was the 3rd Quarter Employment Cost Index (ECI). It showed an increase of 0.4% that matched forecasts. This means that employer costs for wages and benefits rose moderately during the third quarter, but this was…

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, October 29, 2009

MA Mortgage Rate Commentary Oct 29



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

Thursday’s bond market has opened in negative territory after today’s important economic data gave us stronger than expected results. The stock markets are showing strength with the Dow up 86 points and the Nasdaq up 24 points. The bond market is currently down 15/32, but we will probably see little change in this morning’s mortgage rates due to strength in bonds late yesterday.

Today’s big news was the release of the preliminary reading of the 3rd Quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that is …

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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

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

MA Mortgage Rate Commentary Oct 28


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

Wednesday’s bond market has opened in positive territory again after this morning’s only economic report showed no surprises. A negative open for stocks is also helping bonds during early trading. The Dow and Nasdaq are both showing losses of 28 points. The bond market is currently up 10/32, which should improve this morning’s mortgage rates by approximately .250 - of a discount point.

The Commerce Department released September’s Durable Goods Orders this morning, announcing an increase of 1.0% in new orders for big-ticket items. This…

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, October 27, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary Oct 27


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

Tuesday’s bond market has opened in positive territory following the release of a much weaker than expected consumer confidence reading. The stock markets are mixed with the Dow up 57 points and the Nasdaq down 6 points. The bond market is currently up 14/32, which will likely improve this morning’s mortgage rates by approximately .250 - of a discount point.

The Conference Board said that their Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) for October fell to 47.7. This was much weaker than the 53.5 that was expected and indicates that consumers are less optimistic about their own financial situations than many had thought. That is favorable news 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

Friday, October 23, 2009

Mass. Mortgage Rate Commentary 10/23



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

Friday’s bond market has opened in negative territory again despite stock weakness during early trading. The stock markets are still unable to hold recent gains with the Dow down 90 points and again falling below the 10,000 benchmark. The Nasdaq is currently down 4 points. The bond market is down 13/32, which will likely push this morning’s mortgage rates higher by approximately .125 - .250 of a discount point.

Today’s only relevant economic news came from the National Association of Realtors who reported that…

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, October 22, 2009

MA Mortgage Rate Commentary 10-22-09



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

Thursday’s bond market has opened in negative territory again as traders still wait for direction on the stock markets. Stocks are mixed with the Dow up 44 points and the Nasdaq down 8 points. The bond market is currently down 6/32, but we will likely see an improvement in mortgage rates of approximately .250 of a discount point due to strength late yesterday.

Neither of today’s economic releases were considered to be highly important. The Labor Department gave us favorable news with an announcement that 531,000 new claims for unemployment benefits were filed last week. This …

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, October 20, 2009

Mass. Mortgage Rate Commentary 10.20.2009

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

Tuesday’s bond market has opened in positive territory following weaker than expected economic reports and early stock losses. The stock markets are negative ground with the Dow down 52 points and the Nasdaq down 14 points. The bond market is currently up 16/32, which will likely improve this morning’s mortgage rates by approximately .125 - .250 of a discount point.

The Labor Department reported this morning that September’s Producer Price Index (PPI) fell 0.6% while the core data fell 0.1%. Both of these readings were weaker than expected, indicating that inflationary pressures at the producer level of the…

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, October 19, 2009

This weeks MA Mortgage Rate Commentary



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

This week brings us the release of five economic reports for the markets to digest. Only one of these reports is considered to be highly important to mortgage rates, but this by no means leads me to believe we will have an uneventful week. This will be an extremely busy week for corporate earnings, which usually translates into stock volatility. The lack of important economic data on this week’s calendar makes it more likely that any significant swings in stock prices will influence bond trading and mortgage rates.

There is nothing of importance scheduled to be posted tomorrow morning. We will get a couple of important earnings releases including Texas Instruments and Apple, Inc, but they are being announced after the markets close tomorrow. This means that any reaction in the markets won’t come until Tuesday’s trading. I am thinking that tomorrow…

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, October 16, 2009

Mass Mortgage Rate Commentary 10/16



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

Friday’s bond market has opened in positive territory following a weak open in stocks. The stock markets are in selling mode during early trading with the Dow down 110 points and the Nasdaq down 28 points. Weaker than expected earnings reports from a couple of major names is the main reason for the early selling in stocks. The bond market is currently up 9/32, but we will likely still see an increase in this morning’s mortgage rates of approximately .250 of a discount point due to weakness late yesterday.

There were two reports released this morning, but neither can be considered highly important to the markets or mortgage rates. September’s Industrial Production data was the …

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, October 15, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary Oct 15


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

Thursday’s bond market initially opened well in negative territory but has since rebounded after stocks opened in negative ground. The Dow is currently down 28 points while the Nasdaq has fallen 12 points. While those may be minor losses, the concern is the fact that the Dow has slipped below the 10,000 benchmark that we heard so much about yesterday. Investors’ concerns that stocks may not be able to hold recent gains has helped boost bond prices during early morning trading. The result is the bond market currently up 3/32, but I am expecting to see an increase in this morning’s mortgage rates of approximately .375 of a discount point compared to yesterday’s morning rates.

The Labor Department reported this morning that September’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 0.2% and that the core data reading rose 0.2%. The overall…

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, October 14, 2009

Mass. Mortgage Rate Commentary 10-14-2009



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

Wednesday’s bond market has opened in negative after this morning’s economic data showed stronger than expected readings. The stock markets are in positive ground with the Dow up 98 points and the Nasdaq up 20 points. The bond market is currently down 6/32, but I am expecting to see a slight improvement in this morning’s mortgage pricing due to strength in bonds late yesterday.

The Commerce Department posted September’s Retail Sales figures early this morning, announcing a 1.5% decline in sales from August’s level. This was a smaller than expected drop, indicating that consumers spent more than many had thought. Even if more volatile auto-transactions are excluded, sales exceeded expectations. This is bad news for bonds and …

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, October 13, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 10-13-09



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

Tuesday’s bond market has opened well in positive territory following last week’s sell-off. The stock markets are helping bonds by showing early losses with the Dow down 38 points and the Nasdaq down 6 points. The bond market is currently up 21/32, but we likely will see little change in this morning’s mortgage rates due to weakness late Friday.

There is no relevant economic news scheduled for release today. The bond market was closed yesterday in observance of the Columbus Day holiday, so today’s trading picks up from Friday’s levels. Last week closed on a significant sell-off so this morning’s gains in bonds could be investors finalizing positions. Some traders feel last week’s sell-off was…

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

MA Mortgage Rate Commentary the week ahead



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

Friday’s bond market has opened down sharply as yesterday’s afternoon selling continues into this morning. The stock markets are showing gains with the Dow up 43 points and the Nasdaq up 11 points. The bond market is currently down 30/32, which with yesterday’s afternoon weakness will likely push this morning’s mortgage rates higher by approximately .500 - .625 of a discount point over yesterday’s morning rates.

Today’s only economic data was August’s Goods and Services Trade Balance report. It revealed a $30.7 billion trade deficit, exceeding forecasts. However, this news is relatively inconsequential to the markets and has had little impact on today’s…

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, October 9, 2009

MA Mortgage Rate Commentary



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

Friday’s bond market has opened down sharply as yesterday’s afternoon selling continues into this morning. The stock markets are showing gains with the Dow up 43 points and the Nasdaq up 11 points. The bond market is currently down 30/32, which with yesterday’s afternoon weakness will likely push this morning’s mortgage rates higher by approximately .500 - .625 of a discount point over yesterday’s morning rates.

Today’s only economic data was August’s Goods and Services Trade Balance report. It revealed a $30.7 billion trade deficit, exceeding forecasts. However, this…

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, October 8, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 10.08



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

Thursday’s bond market has opened flat despite early stock gains and stronger than expected unemployment data. Stocks are rallying with the Dow up 80 points and the Nasdaq up 25 points. The bond market is nearly unchanged from yesterday’s close, but we will likely see an improvement in this morning’s mortgage rates of approximately .125 - .250 of a discount point due to strength late yesterday.

The Labor Department reported this morning that 521,000 new claims for unemployment benefits were filed last week. This was lower than expected and the lowest total in approximately nine months. This is considered bad…

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, October 7, 2009

Mass Mortgage Rate Commentary 10.07.09



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

Wednesday’s bond market has opened in positive territory despite a lack of factual economic data being posted today. The stock markets are showing minor gains after a strong two-day rally. The Dow is currently down 24 points while the Nasdaq has slipped 2 points. The bond market is currently up 15/32, but I don’t think we will see much of a change in this morning’s mortgage rates as lenders wait for today’s debt sale before making any adjustments.

There is no relevant economic data scheduled for release today, but we do have the 10-year Treasury Note auction to contend with. This sale will give us …

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, October 6, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 10.06.09

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

Tuesday’s bond market has opened in negative territory with the stock markets in a sizable rally. The Dow is currently up 150 points while the Nasdaq has gained 36 points. The bond market is currently down 8/32, which will likely push this morning’s mortgage rates higher by approximately .250 of a discount point.

There is no specific report or reason for stocks rallying this morning. Improving global economic conditions can be considered a contributing factor, but it is more of a situation where the general sentiment in the stock markets is favorable. This morning’s bond weakness is partly a result of…

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, October 5, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 10.05.09



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

Monday’s bond market has opened in positive territory, following the direction of stocks. The stock markets are showing gains of 68 points and 16 points for the Dow and Nasdaq respectively. The bond market is currently up 6/32, but I don’t believe we will see much of a change in this morning’s mortgage rates.

This week brings us only one monthly economic report for the markets to digest and it is not considered to be of high importance. This means that the week will be left mostly up to the stock markets and other influences since there is a lack of factual data for bonds to trade on. In addition to the one report, we also have…

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

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary for the week ahead



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

This week brings us only one monthly economic report for the markets to digest and it is not considered to be of high importance. This means that the week will be left mostly up to the stock markets and other influences since there is a lack of factual data for bonds to trade on. In addition to the one report, we also have two relevant Treasury auctions that can also cause movement in rates if demand for them is particularly strong or weak.

The first relevant event of the week is Wednesday’s 10-year Treasury Note auction. This sale will give us an important measure of investor interest in longer-term U.S. debt, particularly from international buyers. If there is a strong demand in the sale, we should see the broader bond market rally and mortgage rates move lower. However, a lackluster interest in the sale would …

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, October 2, 2009

MA mortgage rate commentary 10/02

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

Friday’s bond market has opened relatively flat despite weaker than expected economic data. The stock markets initially opened well in negative territory but have since recovered a good portion of those losses. The Dow is currently down 12 points and the Nasdaq is down 5 points. The bond market is down 2/32, but we still should see an improvement in this morning’s mortgage rates of approximately .250 of a discount point due to strength late yesterday.

The Labor Department gave us today’s big news with the release of September’s Employment report. They reported that the U.S. unemployment rate stood at 9.8% last month, as expected. However, the number of lost jobs was 263,000, exceeding forecasts of 180,000. The third important component of the report- average hourly earnings, did not rise as much as thought. Overall, this data is …

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, October 1, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 10.01.09




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

Thursday’s bond market has opened in positive following early stock losses and mixed economic news. The stocks markets are in selling mode this morning with the Dow down 153 points and the Nasdaq down 52 points. The bond market is currently up 22/32, which should improve this morning’s mortgage rates by approximately .125 - .250 of a discount point.

The first of today’s two important economic reports was August’s Personal Income and Outlays that revealed a 0.2% increase in personal income and a 1.3% rise in spending. Both of these readings were higher than expected, indicating that consumers had more money to spend than thought and were spending it. This is bad news for bonds and mortgage rates because it hints that consumer spending will …

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 30, 2009

Mass Mortgage Rate Commentary 09.30.09




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

Wednesday’s bond market has opened flat despite early stock weakness. The stocks markets are posting noticeable losses with the Dow down 83 points and the Nasdaq down 15 points. The bond market is nearly unchanged from yesterday’s closing level, but we should still see an improvement in this morning’s mortgage rates of approximately .250 of a discount point due to strength late yesterday.

Today’s only relevant economic data was the final revision to the 2nd Quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It showed a revised reading of a 0.7% decline that was stronger than expected. The last revision revealed a 1.0% drop in GDP, meaning the economy was stronger last quarter than many had thought. Theoretically, this is negative news for bonds because stronger economic activity makes long-term securities such as mortgage-related bonds less attractive to investors. However, this data is so aged now that it …

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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

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09/29/09





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

Tuesday’s bond market initially opened well in negative territory but has since recovered a good portion of those losses following a much weaker than expected consumer confidence reading. The stocks markets are posting losses with the Dow down 27 points and the Nasdaq down 9 points. The bond market is currently down 2/32, but this is well off earlier lows. However, we will still likely see an improvement to this morning’s mortgage rates of approximately .125 of a discount point due to strength yesterday.

The Conference Board, who is a New York based business research group, reported late this morning that their Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) for September stood at 53.1. That was a decline from August’s reading and well below forecasts of a 57.0 reading, indicating that consumers were much less optimistic about their own financial situations than many had thought. This can be considered good news for bonds and mortgage rates because it means that consumers are less likely to make a large purchase in the near …

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, September 28, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09.28.09



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

Monday’s bond market has opened up slightly despite strong stock gains. The stock markets are rallying with the Dow up 126 points while the Nasdaq has gained 41 points. The bond market is currently up 4/32, which should improve this morning’s mortgage rates by approximately .250 of a discount point.

There is no relevant economic news scheduled for release today. Tomorrow starts this week’s fairly busy calendar with the first release September’s Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) at 10:00 AM ET. This Conference Board index gives us a measurement of consumer willingness to spend. It is expected to show an increase from last month’s reading, indicating that consumers are more optimistic about their own financial situations than last month and more likely to make large purchases in the near future. This is bad news for the bond market and mortgage rates because consumer spending fuels economic growth. Analysts are calling for a reading of …

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

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary week of 9-27




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

This week brings us the release of six relevant economic reports for the bond market to digest. There is nothing of importance scheduled for release tomorrow, so look for the stock markets to influence bond trading and possibly mortgage rates. I would not be surprised to see a relatively calm day as traders prepare for this week’s data, some of which is considered to be extremely important.

The first release of the week is September’s Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) late Tuesday morning. This Conference Board index will be posted at 10:00 AM and gives us a measurement of consumer willingness to spend. It is expected to show an increase from last month’s reading, indicating that consumers are more optimistic about their own financial situations than last month and more likely to make large purchases in the near future. This is bad news for the bond market and mortgage rates because consumer spending fuels economic growth. Analysts are calling for a reading of approximately 57.0, up from August’s 54.1. If we see a larger than expected increase…

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 25, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09/25/09



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

Friday’s bond market has opened flat following the release of mixed economic new. The stock markets are showing minor losses with the Dow down 14 points and the Nasdaq down 10 points. The bond market is currently up 2/32, which will likely improve this morning’s mortgage rates by approximately .125 due to strength late yesterday after news that the 7-year Note sale went pretty well.

There were three reports posted this morning. Results of two of them can be considered negative for bonds and mortgage rates while one is good news. Since the most important one gave us much weaker than expected results, we have not seen much selling in bonds, preventing an increase…

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 24, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 2009/09/24

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

Thursday’s bond market has opened in positive territory following early stock weakness and news of an unexpected decline in home sales. The stock markets are showing losses with the Dow down 38 points and the Nasdaq down 25 points. The bond market is currently up 9/32, which will likely improve this morning’s mortgage rates by approximately .125 - .250 of a discount point compared to yesterday’s morning rates.

The Labor Department announced this morning that 530,000 new claims for unemployment benefits were filed last week. This was much lower than the 550,000 that was expected, meaning the employment sector was stronger than thought last week. That is bad news for bonds and mortgage rates, but since this data tracks only…

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 23, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09/23/2009

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

Wednesday’s bond market opened slightly in negative territory as traders prepare for today’s Treasury auction and the FOMC post-meeting statement. The stock markets are showing small losses with the Dow down 19 points and the Nasdaq down 2 points. The bond market is down 2/32, which will likely push this morning’s mortgage rates higher by .125 - .250 of a discount point.

I am expecting to see a relative calm morning in trading and mortgage rates but would not be surprised at all to see a revision to mortgage pricing later today. This morning’s weakness in bonds is common ahead of important Treasury auctions. If the sales go well, we usually see those losses recovered during …


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 22, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09.22.2009

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


Tuesday’s bond market has opened up slightly despite no relevant economic news on tap today. The stock markets showing minor gains with the Dow up 27 points and the Nasdaq up 6 points. The bond market is currently up 4/32, but we will again likely see little change in this morning’s mortgage rates as traders and lenders wait for tomorrow’s events to take place before making any sizable changes.

There are no significant events or relevant economic reports scheduled for today. Investors seem to be preparing for tomorrow’s events and will likely keep bond prices near current levels until then. This means I am not expecting to see any noticeable changes 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

Monday, September 21, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09-21-2009

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


Monday’s bond market has opened in positive territory after this morning’s sole economic report gave us a slightly lower than expected reading. The stock markets are mixed with the Dow down 30 points and the Nasdaq up 6 points. The bond market is currently up 12/32, but we will likely see little change in this morning’s mortgage rates.

The Conference Board said late this morning that its Leading Economic Indicators (LEI) for August rose 0.6%, meaning that it is predicting moderate to rapid growth in economic activity over the next few months, but at a slightly slower pace than analysts had thought. This is basically good news for bonds, but an upward revision to July’s reading offset this news. Besides, this data is considered to be only moderately important and a wide variance would have been needed to really influence trading and mortgage rates.

The rest of the week brings us the release of four more relevant economic reports in addition to another FOMC meeting and two important Treasury auctions. None of the factual reports are considered to be highly important. In fact …


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

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary week of 9-20-2009

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


This week brings us the release of five relevant economic reports in addition to another FOMC meeting and two important Treasury auctions. None of the factual reports are considered to be highly important. In fact, most of the economic news is considered to be only moderately important. This should help limit the possibility of significant changes to mortgage rates most days this week.

Unlike many Mondays, there is relevant data being posted tomorrow. The Conference Board will release its Leading Economic Indicators (LEI) for August late tomorrow morning. This index attempts to measure economic activity over the next three to six months. It is expected to show a 0.7% rise, meaning that it is predicting a sizable increase in economic activity over the next several months. A larger than expected reading would be considered bad news for bonds and could lead to a minor increase in mortgage rates tomorrow.

There is nothing of importance scheduled for release Tuesday, but the first of this week’s two important Treasury sales will take place Wednesday and the Fed’s two-day FOMC meeting will adjourn Wednesday afternoon. The Treasury will sell 5-year Notes Wednesday and 7-year Notes Thursday. If investor demand in these sales is strong, particularly from international buyers, the broader bond market should move higher pushing …


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 18, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09/18/09

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


Friday’s bond market has opened in negative territory with little to drive trading. The stock markets are showing minor gains with the Dow up 36 points and the Nasdaq up 3 points. The bond market is currently down 7/32, but we will likely see little change in this morning’s mortgage rates due to strength late yesterday.

There is no relevant economic news scheduled for release today. Look for the stock markets to be the biggest influence on any swings in bond trading or mortgage rates this afternoon. As long as the stock markets remain fairly calm, mortgage rates will likely follow suit. However, this may be difficult because today is known as Quadruple Witching day in the stock markets. This is where stock index futures and options, stock options and individual stock futures all expire. As those options are executed throughout the day, it is common to see wide fluctuations in stocks. If the major stock indexes show sizable losses, bonds may benefit. If the indexes move higher, extending their recent rally, we could see changes 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 17, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09.17.09

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


Thursday’s bond market has opened in positive territory, following suit with stocks. The stock markets are continuing yesterday’s positive tone, but to a much lesser scale. The Dow is currently up 23 points while the Nasdaq has gained 4 points. The bond market is currently up 8/32, which will likely improve this morning’s mortgage rates by approximately .250 of a discount point.

Neither of today’s economic releases are considered to be of high importance to the markets and have not had much influence on this morning’s mortgage rates. The Labor Department reported that 545,000 new claims for unemployment benefits were filed last week. This was lower than expected and can be considered negative news for bonds. However, the short period that this report tracks usually means it does not heavily influence trading or mortgage pricing.

August’s Housing Starts report was also posted this morning, showing an increase in starts of new homes from July to August. This data helps us measure housing sector strength, but is…


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 16, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09-16-09

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


Wednesday’s bond market opened in positive territory following the release of this morning’s key inflation data that showed no significant surprises, but has since given back those gains. The stock markets are in positive ground with the Dow up 40 points and the Nasdaq up 11 points. The bond market is currently down 2/32, which will likely push this morning’s mortgage rates higher by approximately .125 of a discount point.

There were two reports posted this morning. The first was August’s Consumer Price Index (CPI) that revealed a 0.4% increase in the overall reading and a 0.1% rise in the core data. The increase in the overall reading was slightly higher than forecasts, but the more important core data reading that excludes volatile food and energy prices matched expectations. This means that prices at the consumer level of the economy rose modestly last month. That is good news for bond prices and mortgage rates because rapid increases in inflation makes long-term securities such as mortgage-related bonds less attractive to investors.
The end result is almost always …


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 15, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage rate Commentary 09-15-2009

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


Tuesday’s bond market initially opened well in negative territory after this morning’s economic data revealed stronger than expected results but has since recovered a good portion of those losses. The stock markets are showing minor gains with the Dow up 4 points and the Nasdaq up 6 points. The bond market is currently down 3/32, but well above earlier levels. This will likely push this morning’s mortgage rates higher by approximately .125 of a discount point.

The Commerce Department announced this morning that sales at retail level establishments rose 2.7% last month, greatly exceeding analysts’ forecasts of a 1.9% increase. Even when volatile auto transactions are excluded, sales were well above forecasts. This means that consumers spent much more last month than many had thought. That is bad news for bonds and mortgage rates because consumer spending makes up…


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, September 14, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09.14.09

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


Monday’s bond market has opened in negative territory despite a flat morning in stocks and no economic data on today’s calendar. The stock markets are calm with the Dow down 8 points and the Nasdaq nearly unchanged from Friday’s close. The bond market is currently down 8/32, which will likely push this morning’s mortgage rates higher by approximately .125 of a discount point.

This week brings us the release of five relevant economic reports that may influence mortgage rates, but none of them are scheduled for release today. A couple of the reports are considered to be highly important to the financial and mortgage markets, meaning that we may see significant changes to rates this week. There is a very good chance of seeing noticeable changes in rates at least one day, if …..


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

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary week of 9.13.09

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


This week brings us the release of five relevant economic reports that may influence mortgage rates. A couple of these reports are considered to be highly important to the financial and mortgage markets, meaning that we may see significant changes to rates this week. There is a very good chance of seeing noticeable changes in rates at least one day, if not several days this week. There is no relevant news scheduled to be posted tomorrow, so look for the stock markets to be the biggest force behind bond trading and changes to mortgage rates until we get to the data releases.

There are two highly important reports scheduled to be posted early Tuesday morning. The first is the release of August’s Retail Sales report. It will give us a measurement of consumer spending, which is very important to the markets because consumer spending makes up two-thirds of the U.S. economy. Current forecasts are calling for a 1.9% increase in sales. The sizable jump is expected to come from auto sales that were fueled by the Cash For Clunkers program. Analysts are calling for a 0.4% rise in sales if auto sales are excluded. A larger than expected increase would be considered bad news for bonds and likely lead to an …..


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 11, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09/11/2009

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


Friday’s bond market has opened in positive territory despite stronger than expected economic news. The stock markets are showing minor losses with the Dow down 10 points and the Nasdaq down 1 point. The bond market is currently up 17/32, which should improve this morning’s mortgage rates by approximately .250 of a discount point.

The University of Michigan posted their Index of Consumer Sentiment late this morning, announcing a reading of 70.2. This was a sizable increase from August’s final reading and higher than what analysts had expected. This means that consumers are more optimistic about their own financial situations than many had thought. That can be considered bad news for bonds and mortgage rates because it hints that consumers are more apt to make large purchases in the near future. However, it appears the data…..


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 10, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09.10.09

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


Thursday’s bond market has opened in positive territory despite early stock gains and mixed economic news. The stock markets are in positive territory still with the Dow up 13 points and the Nasdaq up 7 points. The bond market is currently up 14/32, which will likely improve this morning’s mortgage rates by approximately .250 of a discount point.

July’s Goods and Services Trade Balance was this morning’s only monthly economic news released. It showed the trade deficit stood at $32.0 billion in July, which was much higher than expected. However, this news is not usually very influential towards mortgage rates, so its impact has been minimal.

The Labor Department gave us last week’s unemployment figures, announcing that 550,000 new claims for benefits were filed last week. This was lower than expected and can be considered negative towards bonds and mortgage rates. But this data also is not considered to be highly important to mortgage rates because it tracks …..


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 9, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09.09.2009

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


Wednesday’s bond market has opened in negative territory following early stock gains. The stock markets are extending yesterday’s gains with the Dow up 60 points and the Nasdaq up 24 points. The bond market is currently down 8/32, but we will likely see little change in this morning’s mortgage rates.

There is no relevant economic news scheduled for release today. The first release of the week comes tomorrow afternoon. The Federal Reserve will release its Beige Book report at 2:00 PM ET tomorrow. 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 though, it will be a non-event and will not lead to a noticeable change in mortgage rates.

Also tomorrow is the 10-year Treasury Note auction, which will be followed by the 30-year Bond auction Thursday. It is fairly common to see some weakness in bonds before these sales as investors prepare for them. But, if the sales are met with a decent demand from investors, those losses are normally recovered after the results are announced. The results will be posted at 1:00 pm ET each day. If demand was strong, particularly from international investors, we should see mortgage rates improve during afternoon trading.....


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 8, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary 09.08.09

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 …


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, September 7, 2009

Massachusetts Mortgage Rate Commentary week of 9-6-2009

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 theories on the Fed’s next move. Most likely though, it will be a non-event and will not lead to a noticeable change in mortgage rates. …..


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 09-04-09

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 …..


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