Mortgage rates

Returns on mortgage-backed securities in October lagged Treasuries by 37 basis points, the most since November 2016.

Mortgage rates dropped slightly for the second time in the past three weeks as yields on the benchmark 10-year Treasury note remained flat for most of the period, according to Freddie Mac.

A combination of moderate rises in mortgage rates and dipping growth in home prices are projected to boost existing and new housing sales through 2020, according to Freddie Mac.

Mortgage applications decreased 2.5% from one week earlier as purchase activity compared with 2017 fell for the first time in nearly three months, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

As potential homebuyers anticipate mortgage rates to keep rising, September was a strong month for housing demand, according to Redfin.

The homeownership rate in the U.S. increased in the third quarter, a sign that first-time buyers may be seeing the cooldown in housing as a buying opportunity.

Home-price gains in 20 U.S. cities cooled in August to the slowest pace since 2016, as high borrowing costs and property values limit buyer interest, according to S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller data.

Student debt continues to weigh down potential homebuyers, as the share of first-timers decreased for the third-consecutive year, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Despite rising mortgage rates and a dismal start to the fall, homebuilders in the Twin Cities are picking up the pace.

Thousands of homeowners in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago are headed out of town.