consumer

The Week In Review (December 24, 2007) : What To Watch For

December 24, 2007

Mortgage rates moved away from the best levels of the year last week with force, and this week could resemble last. Markets have been grappling with conflicting signals about the U.S. economy. On one hand, there is evidence of inflation in the form of higher cost of living.  On the other hand, there is evidence […]

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Why Recession Is Not A Guarantee In 2008

December 14, 2007

In its biggest month-over-month jump since 1973, the Producer Price Index rose 3.2 percent in November. PPI is like a “cost of living” measurement for consumer, except that it applies to business. PPI measures how expensive it is to produce goods on a day-to-day basis. PPI spiking in November is an important development for all […]

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Making English Out Of Fed-Speak (December 2007 Edition)

December 12, 2007

The Fed lowered the Fed Funds Rate by 0.250%.  The rate decrease was not well-received, though, as many investors were calling for a deeper cut of a half-percent. In response, dollars moved from stock markets to bond markets and, therefore, mortgage rates fell. Because it is tied to the Fed Funds Rate, Prime Rate fell by […]

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Why Credit Card Holders May Benefit From The Fed’s Actions Today

December 11, 2007

The Federal Open Market Committee meets today and will release a public statement at 2:15 P.M. ET. It is widely expected that the FOMC will lower the Fed Funds Rate by at least 0.250%. When the FOMC lowers the Fed Funds Rate, it is trying to “loosen” credit for American businesses and consumers.  When credit […]

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The Week In Review (December 10, 2007) : What To Watch For

December 10, 2007

Among lingering doubts about housing and credit markets, and a general uncertainty about the U.S. economy, the mortgage bond market tanked towards the latter part of last week. As investors moved away from mortgage bonds, mortgage rates forcefully bounced off their two-year lows. A major factor behind last week’s run-up in rates is the market […]

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Who Are Fannie And Freddie And How Do They Help Homeowners?

November 21, 2007

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mae are quasi-government agencies in that they are publicly-owned, but overseen by the government. The purpose of Fannie and Freddie is to make sure that money is available to homeowners that want home loans. Neither lends to consumers directly, though; you’ll have to talk to your loan officer for that.  Instead, […]

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The Week In Review (November 19, 2007) : What To Watch For

November 19, 2007

In a holiday-shortened week with no major economic data releases, expect worries about the credit markets and speculation about holiday shopping to take center stage. Last week was a mixed bag for the economy and mortgage markets responded in kind.  Rates were relatively unchanged. The news started with Wednesday’s Retail Sales report.  In showing a […]

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The Cost Of Living Includes The Cost Of Gas And Food (And May Get More Expensive Through The Winter)

November 16, 2007

October’s Consumer Price Index was released Thursday and showed a 3.5 percent increase in the cost of living since October 2006. The report also showed a core inflation rate of 2.2 percent. The “core CPI” is a smaller part of the overall CPI. The math is the same, but it specifically excludes cost changes in […]

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The Week In Review (November 13, 2007) : What To Watch For

November 13, 2007

The Dow Jones Industrial Average and NASDAQ shed 4.1% and 6.5%, respectively, last week. Normally, this would be good news for mortgage rates because investors tend to look for “safe havens” in bond issues, but instead, just treasuries benefited last week.  Mortgage bonds were left in the dust. Mortgage rates finished to the upside after […]

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The Week In Review (November 05, 2007) : What To Watch For

November 4, 2007

As we saw last week, the economy is simultaneously hot and cold.  This makes for a strange ride on Wall Street because stocks and bonds tend to move on emotion rather than on fact. This “mob mentality” is one reason why mortgage rates have bounced up and down so much lately. For example, we saw […]

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What Is The Fed Funds Rate?

October 31, 2007

The Federal Open Market Committee adjourns from its two-day meeting this afternoon and is widely expected to lower the Fed Funds Rate.  This does not mean that mortgage rates are being lowered, too. The definition of Fed Funds Rate from the Federal Reserve: The federal funds rate is the rate charged by one depository institution […]

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How The Stock Market Is Directing Traffic For Mortgage Rates

October 23, 2007

As we talked about yesterday, the stock market appears to be directing traffic for the bond market. Monday was a flat day for stocks, and it was a flat day for bonds, too.  Mortgage rates idled. Tuesday, with no economic data hitting the wires, market participants will be looking for direction elsewhere. Some likely candidates […]

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Retail Sales Data Gives Mortgage Markets Something To Chew On

October 15, 2007

Until this morning, mortgage markets had been somewhat dormant over the course of the week.  There was no new data for traders to chew, digest and/or spit out.  Mortgage rates sat flat because of it. Then, at 8:30 A.M. ET, the Commerce Department released Retail Sales data for September.  Mortgage rates are headed higher this morning on […]

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Making A Choice Of Mortgage Products Is Easier Today Than Most Days

October 11, 2007

In another sign that mortgage markets are a bit unpredictable lately, this morning’s mortgage rates are virtually identical for conforming fixed rate mortgages and conforming adjustable rate mortgages. This is an extremely uncommon market condition; usually, adjustable rate mortgages carry lower rates over their initial fixed rate period (i.e. 3 years, 5 years, 7 years) […]

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Have You Ever Wondered Where The Money Goes?

October 4, 2007

Where does your money go?  If you’re like most Americans, more than half of it goes towards housing and transportation alone. This is according to the Consumer Expenditure Survey performed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The most recent study shows American household spending habits from 2005, but the percentages change little from one year […]

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Americans Will Spend $179 Million More On Gasoline Today Than One Year Ago

September 27, 2007

Economists worry about rising oil prices because it tends to generate higher pump prices for Americans.  With more money spent on gasoline, there’s (theoretically) less money available to spend on goods and services. Today, GasBuddy.com says that the average price for a gallon of unleaded gasoline is $2.792, up from $2.344 last year at this […]

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How Prime Rate Relates To The Fed Funds Rate

September 20, 2007

Prime Rate is currently 7.750%. Prime Rate is the “shorthand” name for the Wall Street Journal Prime Rate, a variable interest rate that is used in pricing many types of consumer loans. These loans include: Home equity lines of credit Credit card loans Auto loans Prime Rate’s variable nature is tied to the Fed Funds […]

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The Week In Review (September 17, 2007) : What To Watch For

September 17, 2007

The volatile path of mortgage rates last week followed the changing expectations for Tuesday’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting. The FOMC sets the Fed Funds Rate, a benchmark interest rate upon which Prime Rate is based. According to Federal Funds Rate futures, there is a 94 percent chance that the Fed will lower the FFR […]

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What Would It Take For YOU To Feel The Pinch Of Higher Gas Prices?

September 14, 2007

As crude oil crossed $80 a barrel Thursday, the Wall Street Journal ran an interactive poll with its readers. What sustained price for gasoline would cause you to cut back on other household spending? The graph above shows the on-going results of the non-scientific study.  You can chime in, too, at https://forums.wsj.com/viewtopic.php?t=805. As consumers cut […]

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The Week In Review (September 10, 2007) : What To Watch For

September 10, 2007

Weak employment data pushed mortgage rates lower last week.  Against expectations of 110,000 new jobs created in August, last Friday’s Non-Farm Payrolls report showed a loss of 4,000 jobs. The story made headlines all over the country this weekend but its connection to mortgage rates is not always clear.  Here’s how the jobs report relates […]

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