Economic indicators

Stronger than expected numbers for overall U.S. employment additions have diminished lender hopes for steeper rate drops, and industry hiring has been tepid.

While consumers still see a low chance of a recession in the next year, there was a "slight uptick" in the share that believes the economy is already in a downturn.

Lower inflation doesn't equate to lower prices, and costs of living may still be higher than pre-pandemic, especially rents. But the varying cooldown could help.

While the shelter-related increase won't deter the Fed from cutting interest rates, it reduces the chance of an outsize reduction.

Other estimates suggest nonbank mortgage employment grew in July as the industry cautiously added staff to handle incremental growth in demand for loans.

She spoke hours after a private payroll survey showed U.S. companies added the fewest jobs since the start of 2021 in August.

Gen Zers had the highest rates of mortgage delinquencies that were up to 89 days past due.

Underlying U.S. inflation eased for a fourth month on an annual basis in July, keeping the Federal Reserve on track to lower interest rates next month.

U.S. economic growth accelerated by more than forecast in the second quarter, illustrating demand is holding up under the weight of higher borrowing costs.

The overall Bureau of Labor Statistics number was a tad higher than expected but other indicators point to economic weakness that could lower mortgage rates.

Cook expects three- and six-month inflation rates to continue to move lower on a "bumpy path," with monthly data similar to the "favorable" readings seen in the second half of 2023 for the rest of the year.

Potentially limiting the Federal Reserve's ability to cut rates is the growing view that the economy's so-called neutral rate — a theoretical level of borrowing costs that neither stimulates nor slows growth — is much higher than policymakers are currently projecting. 

A Fannie Mae survey-high 86% of prospective buyers said it was a bad time to buy a home in May.

A pair of metrics that examine competition in the marketplace went in different directions in March, Zillow found.

Mortgage lenders offered more cash-out refinance programs at a time when consumers might be coming to terms with the rate environment.

The surprisingly strong U.S. economy has driven Treasury yields to the highest since late November as investors dial back bets on interest-rate cuts, wagering that policymakers will be wary of easing policy prematurely.

Logan, whose remarks are closely watched by investors given her prior role managing the central bank's asset portfolio at the New York Fed, said she's increasingly concerned that inflation progress could stall out. 

Fannie Mae's home price sentiment index grew to 72.8 in February, up 2.1 points from the month prior.

Non-mortgage interest payments climbed to an annual rate of $573.4 billion in January. That's the highest on record even after adjusting for inflation — and within a hair's breadth of the $578.3 billion in annual mortgage interest that households were shelling out as of the last quarter of 2023.

Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller said he'd like to see the central bank's holdings of mortgage-backed securities go to zero.