The Mortgage Man
Get more out of your mortgage experience!Archive for should i lock my rate
Tuesday June 10, 2008
Mortgage Bonds are trading at their lowest levels in 3 months.
Wow, what a ride. We get our housing report yesterday showing the first positive figures in 5 consecutive quarters, then last night, Ben Bernanke begins sounding the alarm about inflation and traders don’t like it one bit.
As of this posting, mortgage bonds are trading at $98.03, breaking through a support level at $98.15 and trading at the lowest level since March 10th. Bernanke expressed concerns of inflation largely fueled by the skyrocketing energy prices. He even hinted at additional fed funds rate drops in the near future.
This brings up an interesting question of the chicken or the egg, which came first? If crude oil prices are tied to the US dollar, and the dollar is weakened in part by the lowering of the cost to borrow, then is it possible that raising (rather than lowering) the fed funds rate may give a boost to the value of the dollar, thereby forcing oil prices down as the dollar gains strength against other currencies (particularly in India and China where most of our competition lies for purchasing oil)?
A question that I am not equipped to answer, but one that warrants discussion nonetheless. If you have a loan in process, it would be wise to lock today based on continued uncertainty and weakness in the market.
Monday June 2, 2008
Mortgage Bonds attempt to move higher today after a slaughter last week.
Mortgage Bonds passed below the 200 day moving average last week with an alarming dose of the reality of fear in the market. Today, they are making attempts to recover and are flirting with the now resistance level of the 200 day moving average. At the time of this posting, daily mortgage bond trading is near the 200 day moving average, but has yet to cross it.
In other financial news, Wachovia Corps. CEO, Kennedy Thompson, was voted out of the driver’s seat by the board of directors after company shares lost 50% of their value over the last year. This is not exactly surprising as virtually any CEO of a company involved with mortgage origination is likely walking around with a target on his forehead right now.
Even though mortgage bonds are showing some signs of recovery this morning, unless they break through the resistance level of the 200 day moving average, it is still recommended that you lock your rate to ensure that you protect against loss and continued instability in the financial markets.
The Mortgage Man 