Wednesday's bond market has opened has opened in negative territory following the release of stronger than expected economic data. The stock markets are showing minor gains with the Dow up 22 points and the Nasdaq up 6 points. The bond market is currently down 8/32, but we still should see an improvement of approximately .250 of a discount point in this morning's mortgage rates due to strength in bonds late yesterday.
The first of today's four relevant reports was October's Durable Goods Orders that showed a 0.6% decline in new orders for big-ticket items. This was much lower than the 0.5% that was expected, but this particular report is known to show quite a bit of volatility from month-to-month. So a wide variance does not necessarily mean a big change to mortgage rates, but this morning's news can be considered favorable for bonds and mortgage pricing.
The second report of the day was October's Personal Income and Outlays data. It revealed a 0.2% rise in income that was expected, but a 0.7% increase in spending that exceeded forecasts. That means consumers spent more than many had thought, increasing the possibility of economic growth. This is bad news for bonds and mortgage rates because an expanding economy usually raises inflation concerns and makes mortgage-related bonds less attractive to investors.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
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