Mortgage rates

Yields on the 10-year Treasury slipped in Jan. 3's morning hours as investors moved money into safer instruments following the U.S. attack that killed an Iranian general.

November's foreclosure starts hit their lowest level since Black Knight started tracking this data in 2000, while the foreclosure rate reached a 14-year low.

If the first weekly Freddie Mac report of the year is any indication, there could be far less volatility for fixed mortgage rates in 2020 than there was in 2019.

Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose at the best pace in five months in October, posting a second straight acceleration as real estate markets showed fresh strength at the start of the fourth quarter.

The drop in home buying power heightened the risk of misrepresentations on purchase mortgage loan applications during November, as consumers are more willing to fudge information in an uncertain market, First American Financial said.

Contract signings to purchase previously owned homes increased in November for the third time in four months, consistent with steady progress in the residential real estate market.

November was another disappointing month for home sales in Champaign County, Ill., with figures down 6.9% from the same month last year.

Mortgage rates ended the week little changed from the previous seven-day period and near historic lows for the year, according to Freddie Mac.

Mortgage applications decreased 5.3% on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier led by a decline in conventional refinance loan demand, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Freddie Mac reduced its origination forecast for 2020 to under $2 trillion, now projecting $184 billion less in refinance volume compared with its November outlook.