This week brings us the release of only two pieces of economic data, but neither of them is considered to be highly important. In addition to the economic releases, we also have two Treasury auctions that may play a role in this week’s mortgage pricing. The financial and mortgage markets will be closed Monday in observance of the Labor Day holiday, meaning we will not see new Delaware mortgage rates until Tuesday morning.

The first release of the week comes Wednesday afternoon. The Federal Reserve will release its Beige Book report at 2:00 PM ET Wednesday. This report details current economic conditions in the U.S. by Federal Reserve regions. It is believed to be a key source of data when the Fed meets for their FOMC meetings and is usually released approximately two weeks prior to each meeting. If it reveals any significant surprises, we may see movement in the markets and mortgage pricing as analysts adjust their theories on the Fed’s next move. Most likely though, it will be a non-event and will not lead to a noticeable change in Delaware mortgage rates. Keep Reading...

There are six relevant economic reports scheduled for release this week in addition to the minutes from the most recent Fed monetary policy meeting. With at least one piece of data being posted each day this week, it is fairly safe to assume that we will see another active week in the financial and mortgage markets.

Unlike many Mondays, tomorrow does bring us one of those reports. July’s Personal Income and Outlays report will be released early tomorrow morning, giving us a measurement of consumer ability to spend and current spending habits. It is expected to show an increase of 0.2% in income and a 0.3% increase in spending. Weaker than expected numbers would be considered good news for the bond market and mortgage rates. Keep Reading...

This week brings us the release of five relevant economic releases for the bond market to watch in addition to two relatively important Treasury auctions. There is no relevant data or news expected to be released tomorrow, so look for the stock markets to heavily influence bond trading and Delaware mortgage rates until we get to the factual economic reports.

July’s Existing Home Sales will open the week’s data late Tuesday morning. The National Association of Realtors will release this report, giving us a measurement of housing sector strength. It covers approximately 85% of home sales in the U.S. but usually does not have a major influence on bond trading and mortgage rates unless it varies greatly from analysts’ forecasts. It is expected to show a decline from June’s sales, meaning the housing sector is still softening. This would be good news for the bond market and mortgage rates because a weak housing sector makes a broader economic recovery difficult. Keep Reading...

This week brings us the release of four reports that may influence Delaware mortgage rates, but only one of them is considered to be highly important. With no relevant auctions or speeches on tap, I suspect we will see much less movement in Delaware mortgage rates this week compared to the past couple of weeks. There is no relevant data scheduled for release tomorrow, so look for the stock markets to drive bond trading and Delaware mortgage rates.

Three of the week’s four reports will be posted Tuesday morning. The first is July’s Producer Price Index (PPI) that gives us an indication of inflation at the producer level of the economy. There are two readings in the report- the overall index and the core data reading. The core data is more important because it excludes more volatile food and energy prices that can change significantly from month to month. Current forecasts call for an increase of 0.2% in the overall and a 0.1% increase in the core data reading. A larger increase in the core data could push Delaware mortgage rates higher Tuesday morning. If it reveals weaker than expected readings, we may see Delaware mortgage rates improve as a result. Keep Reading...

This week brings us the release of five relevant economic reports in addition to another FOMC meeting and two relevant Treasury auctions. The first is Employee Productivity and Costs data for the second quarter that will be released Tuesday morning. It will give us an indication of employee output. High levels of productivity are believed to allow the economy to grow without fears of inflation. I don’t see this being a big mover of mortgage pricing, but since it is the only data of the day it may influence rates slightly during morning trading. Analysts are currently expecting to see an increase in productivity of only 0.1%. A higher than expected reading could help improve bonds, leading to lower Delaware mortgage rates Tuesday. Keep Reading...

There are four relevant reports scheduled for release this week that are likely to affect mortgage pricing. The first important release is the Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) manufacturing index for July late tomorrow morning. This index measures manufacturer sentiment by surveying trade executives about business conditions during the month and is considered to be of fairly high importance to the markets. A reading above 50.0 means that more surveyed executives felt that business improved last month than those who said it had worsened. Tomorrow’s release is expected to show a reading of 54.2, down from last month’s 56.2, indicating manufacturer sentiment slipped in July. A smaller than expected reading would be good news for the bond market and would likely improve Delaware mortgage rates tomorrow. However, a stronger than expected reading could lead to higher Delaware mortgage rates. Keep Reading...

The bond market has reacted favorably to Fed Chairman Bernanke’s testimony to the Senate Banking Committee. Mr. Bernanke didn’t say anything that was a major surprise but did hit some key points that are favorable to bonds and Delaware mortgage rates. He said that he expects key short-term rates to remain low for an “extended period,” that the economic recovery will be slower than previously estimated and that the Fed could take further stimulus action if needed. He added that inflation remains lower than earlier forecasts. Keep Reading...

This week brings us the release of six important economic reports for the bond market to digest in addition to the minutes from the last FOMC meeting and two relevant Treasury auctions. Several of the economic reports are considered to be of high importance, meaning we will likely see volatility in the financial markets and mortgage pricing over the next several days. There are also some heavily watched corporate earnings releases scheduled for the stock markets this week that can influence bond trading and therefore, mortgage pricing. Keep Reading...