Market Update Week Ending January 4, 2013

Thanks to Kathy Hallmon at Regions for this mortgage market update:

 

 

Market Update Week Ending January 4, 2013 The year began on a rough note for mortgage rates. A one-two combination of a fiscal cliff deal and unfavorable news from the Fed caused mortgage rates to end the week sharply higher. The economic data released this week generally came in close to expectations. Wednesday, mortgage rates reacted to the news that politicians reached a fiscal cliff deal which will avoid most of the spending cuts and tax increases which were set to take place at the start of 2013. While much of the debate was simply postponed, the deal reduces the risk of slower economic growth which would have resulted…

Market Update Week Ending June 22, 2012

Thanks to Jackie Fowler for this weeks market update...

Despite historic Greek elections and a highly anticipated Fed meeting, it was a surprisingly quiet week for mortgage rates, since neither event shed much light on investors' primary questions. As a result, mortgage rates ended the week with very little change.

Investors hoped that the two big events this week would remove some of the uncertainty that has hung over financial markets for months, but they were mostly disappointed on that front. On Wednesday, the Fed extended the duration of Operation Twist through the end of the year. This was the middle ground between adding no additional stimulus and implementing a third round of quantitative easing…

Market Update Week Ending April 20, 2012

Thanks to Jackie Fowler at Regions for this mortgage market update

Investors saw little this week to cause much movement in mortgage rates. The Spanish debt auctions received surprising demand, and disappointing US economic results were not weak enough to shift investor sentiment toward safer assets. In the end, mortgage rates finished the week with little change.

In a market looking for positive economic momentum, this week's data provided little encouragement. With the exception of Industrial Production, every measure announced reflected a slowdown in its rate of economic growth. The growth rate of manufacturing activity saw the biggest drop. Retail Sales growth slowed from last month and Industrial

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Latest Mortgage market update...

Market Update Week Ending March 23, 2012

Mortgage rates remained volatile this week, mostly due to shifting expectations about future Fed action. Early in the week, mortgage rates continued last week's move higher. Comments from Fed officials helped them recover their losses later in the week, though, and they ended the week slightly lower.

While the Fed does not control mortgage rates directly, it's important to remember that the Fed maintains an enormous influence. Mortgage rates are largely determined by mortgage-backed securities (MBS) prices. One primary reason why MBS have performed so poorly since last week's Fed statement is clear. To boost the economy after the financial crisis, the Fed has taken extreme

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Here's the latest mortgage market update:

 

Market Update Week Ending February 24, 2012

The Greek bailout package was passed on Monday as expected, and there was little reaction in US markets. Mixed US economic data also had little influence. Strong Treasury auctions were the biggest factor for mortgage rates this week, and rates ended the week a little lower.

Investors are beginning to focus on the price of oil. Concerns about Iran have pushed oil prices up to the highest level in nine months. Higher energy prices are bad for consumers and the economy. Since higher oil prices have two opposite effects on inflation, though, the impact on mortgage rates is uncertain. Rising energy costs add to inflation, but they also slow economic growth,

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Thanks to Jackie Fowler Mortgage Loan Originator at Regions Mortgage for this update

Increased concerns about Europe helped mortgage rates improve this week, although the impact of the recently passed extension to the payroll tax reduction is beginning to push up mortgage rates for certain loans (discussed below).

The news from Europe was mostly negative this week. Economic growth in Germany was slower than expected. Negotiations on restructuring Greek debt did not progress as planned, increasing the risk of default. S&P is downgrading the debt of several European countries, including France. Finally, the European Central Bank (ECB) provided no relief, as it gave no indication that it would increase the level of aid available to troubled

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Panama City Homes | Market Update

Here is the latest mortgage market update for the Panama City Real Estate market area provided by Jackie Fowler:

Market Update Week Ending July 1, 2011

This week's economic news was nearly all positive, and the stock market posted a strong rally. Unfortunately, what's good for stocks is generally unfavorable for mortgage rates. Progress on the Greek aid package and stronger than expected US manufacturing data, along with the end of the Fed's bond buying program, combined to push mortgage rates higher this week.

While the Fed made known months ago that its $600 billion quantitative easing program would end on June 30, investors have been uncertain what the impact would be. Since the program started, Fed

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Panama City Homes | Market Update

Latest mortgage information and market update provided by Jackie Fowler...

Many factors were favorable for mortgage rates this week. Weaker than expected economic data, strong results for the Treasury auctions, and renewed concerns about weaker European countries all helped mortgage rates end the week at the lowest levels of the year.

All of the major economic data released during the week was weaker than expected. First quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the broadest measure of economic growth, was unchanged at 1.8%. Most investors expected the figures to be revised higher to at least 2.0%. April Durable Orders fell 4% from March, which was the largest monthly decline since October 2010. Weekly Jobless Claims…

Panama City Homes | Market Update

This market update is brought to you by Jackie Fowler at Region's Bank:

 

Weaker than expected data helped mortgage rates improve for most of the week, but Friday’s Employment report then surprised to the upside, causing mortgage rates to give back some of the improvement. In the end, as they have for each of the last few weeks, mortgage rates finished the week a little lower.

Against a consensus forecast of 185K, the economy added 244K jobs in April. Revisions to data from prior months added another 46K jobs. The private sector added 268K jobs, which was the highest level since February 2006, and the gains were broad-based across a range of sectors. The Unemployment Rate unexpectedly increased to 9.0% from 8.8%…

The Panama City Real Estate market summary for August 2010 has been published for your convenience.

An interesting aspect of the market numbers is that if we were not faced with a recession/depression the numbers indicate we would be entering a sellers market.

Home sales were up from July, however the price of homes decreased significantly.

Condo sales decreased slightly as prices remained about the same as July.

Banks and lenders continue to foreclose at an alarming rate, shortsales and foreclosures are now the market norm and there is no end in sight.

On the bright side, Panama City homes and condos that are not in foreclosure or short sale status and are priced correctly are sold very quickly - usually in less than 30 days.