logo
Mortgage rates dip to lowest level in three weeks

Mortgage rates dip to lowest level in three weeks

Yahoo5 days ago
Mortgage rates retreated this week, with the 30-year fixed rate averaging 6.76 percent, compared to 6.81 percent the previous week, according to Bankrate's latest lender survey.
Current mortgage rates
Loan type
Current
4 weeks ago
One year ago
52-week average
52-week low
30-year
6.76%
6.79%
6.90%
6.79%
6.20%
15-year
5.92%
5.95%
6.24%
6.01%
5.40%
30-year jumbo
6.76%
6.76%
6.97%
6.83%
6.36%
The 30-year fixed mortgages in this week's survey had an average total of 0.30 discount and origination points. Discount points are a way to lower your mortgage rate, while origination points are fees lenders charge to create, review and process your loan.
Learn more: Will mortgage rates go down this upcoming week?
Shop smarter for mortgage rates
Bankrate connects you to the latest lender offers, tailored to you. Find your low rate today.
Explore mortgage rates
Monthly mortgage payment at today's rates
The national median family income for 2025 is $104,200, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the median price of an existing home sold in June 2025 was $435,300, according to the National Association of Realtors. Based on a 20 percent down payment and a 6.76 percent mortgage rate, the monthly payment of $2,261 amounts to 26 percent of the typical family's monthly income.
'Affordability is still a challenge,' says Lisa Sturtevant, chief economist at Bright MLS, a listing service in the Mid-Atlantic region. 'Some buyers are waiting both for rates and prices to come down before they get into the market.'
What will happen to mortgage rates in 2025?
Last month, the Federal Reserve decided to leave the federal funds rate untouched. Mortgage rates didn't respond to the Fed's three consecutive cuts last year — a reminder that fixed mortgage rates are not set directly by the Fed but by investor appetite, particularly for 10-year Treasury bonds. When there's uncertainty in the market, investors buy Treasury bonds, which in turn drives yields — and, often, mortgage rates — downward.
Shop Top Mortgage Rates
A quicker path to financial freedom
Personalized rates in minutes
Your Path to Homeownership
President Donald Trump's tariff policies were blamed for an increase in inflation, which moved up to 2.7 percent in June from 2.4 percent in May. The Fed's inflation target is 2 percent. In addition, as of Wednesday afternoon, 10-year Treasury yields were just below 4.4 percent.
Learn more: How are mortgage rates set?
Methodology
The Bankrate.com national survey of large lenders is conducted weekly. To conduct the National Average survey, Bankrate obtains rate information from the 10 largest banks and thrifts in 10 large U.S. markets. In the Bankrate.com national survey, our Market Analysis team gathers rates and/or yields on banking deposits, loans and mortgages. We've conducted this survey in the same manner for more than 30 years, and because it's consistently done the way it is, it gives an accurate national apples-to-apples comparison. Our rates differ from other national surveys, in particular Freddie Mac's weekly published rates. Each week Freddie Mac surveys lenders on the rates and points based on first-lien prime conventional conforming home purchase mortgages with a loan-to-value of 80 percent. 'Lenders surveyed each week are a mix of lender types — thrifts, credit unions, commercial banks and mortgage lending companies — is roughly proportional to the level of mortgage business that each type commands nationwide,' according to Freddie Mac.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US consumer confidence improves slightly in July, but Americans remain concerned about tariffs
US consumer confidence improves slightly in July, but Americans remain concerned about tariffs

The Hill

time25 minutes ago

  • The Hill

US consumer confidence improves slightly in July, but Americans remain concerned about tariffs

WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans' view of the U.S. economy improved this month, but Americans remain concerned about the impact of tariffs on their economic futures. The Conference Board said Tuesday that its consumer confidence index rose two points to 97.2 in July, up from 95.2 the previous month. The increase in confidence was in line with analysts' forecasts. In April, American consumers' confidence in the economy sank to its lowest reading since May 2020, largely due to anxiety over the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs. A measure of Americans' short-term expectations for their income, business conditions and the job market rose 4.5 points to 74.4, however that's still well below 80, the marker that can signal a recession ahead.

Cargo surge amid tariff turmoil drives the Port of Savannah to its 2nd busiest year
Cargo surge amid tariff turmoil drives the Port of Savannah to its 2nd busiest year

Associated Press

time25 minutes ago

  • Associated Press

Cargo surge amid tariff turmoil drives the Port of Savannah to its 2nd busiest year

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Retailers scrambling to stock up ahead of anticipated stiff tariffs on imports boosted the Port of Savannah, one of the top U.S. container ports, to its second-busiest year ever, Georgia officials said Tuesday. The Savannah port moved 5.7 million container units of imports and exports across its docks in the 2025 fiscal year that ended June 30, the Georgia Ports Authority reported. That's an increase of 8.6% over the prior fiscal year and just shy of the record 5.76 million container units Savannah handled in fiscal 2022. The growth was caused in part by a surge in cargo since President Donald Trump returned to office in January promising heavy tariffs on China and other U.S. trading partners. But double-digit increases Savannah saw during the spring months were followed by a sizable drop in June container volumes as Trump's on-again, off-again tactics continued to fuel uncertainty. 'It's just going to be this very up-and-down time until things get settled,' said Georgia Ports Authority CEO Griff Lynch, who praised Trump's trade deal with the European Union as a step toward restoring stability. 'I'm sure all of it will come together. It's just a matter of timing.' The Port of Savannah is the nation's No. 4 seaport for cargo shipped in containers, giant metal boxes used to transport goods ranging from consumer electronics to frozen chickens by ship, rail and truck. Uncertainty surrounding Trump's tariff policies has resulted in gains, at least in the short term, at other major U.S. ports. A 90-day pause the Republican president placed on new tariffs announced in April gave American retailers and manufacturers a window to build up inventories ahead of new price hikes. What happens to trade volumes in the coming months may depend on a big deadline Friday, when dozens of countries face increased tariffs on goods shipped to the U.S. if they don't reach a deal with the White House. The Port of Los Angeles, the top U.S. container port, reported its busiest June ever to close out fiscal 2025 with 10.5 million container units handled — a 14% increase over the previous year. At the Port of New York and New Jersey, the biggest East Coast port, container volumes from January through May were up 6.5% compared to the same period last year. Gene Seroka, executive director of the Port of Los Angeles, told reporters earlier this month that Trump's tactics have created a 'whipsaw effect' as shipping volumes slow down with new tariff announcements, then surge suddenly to take advantage of delayed tariff start dates. The National Retail Federation is forecasting that cargo containers shipped through U.S. ports will drop by double digits from August through November. At the Port of Savannah, container volume jumped 22.5% in March to 533,995 units and remained above 500,000 container units through May. The streak ended in June, when container volumes fell 9.6% compared to a year earlier. Lynch said paused shipments of automobiles to Georgia prompted by tariffs on foreign cars contributed to a 16% drop in autos moving through the nearby Port of Brunswick in fiscal 2025. Last year, Brunswick was the top U.S. port for automobiles after passing the Port of Baltimore, which was shut down for weeks after the deadly collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. Cargo volumes appeared flat in July said Lynch, who anticipates another decline in August. But he said he's optimistic the turbulence won't be prolonged. 'If they can nail these tariffs down, we'll get back to normal trade,' Lynch said.

Stocks and bonds are behaving like the US economy is recession-proof
Stocks and bonds are behaving like the US economy is recession-proof

Business Insider

time26 minutes ago

  • Business Insider

Stocks and bonds are behaving like the US economy is recession-proof

"Recession-proof." Professional economists might balk at the phrase, but it's how the stock and bond markets see the economy in the second half of 2025. DataTrek Research wrote on Tuesday that markets are flashing signs of extreme confidence in the trajectory of the US economy. Nicholas Colas, cofounder of the firm, pointed to two signals being sent in the stock and bond markets in particular: In the stock market, valuations look similar to levels seen during the internet boom in the 1990s, Colas said, with the S&P 500 achieving a series of record highs in recent weeks. The benchmark index now looks like it's 8% more expensive than it was during the dot-com bubble, based on the forward price-to-earnings multiple among S&P 500 companies, DataTrek said. Given earnings estimates for 2026, the index looks on track to be 23% more expensive than it was during the dot-com bubble next year. There's no way to explain those valuations without using a price-to-earnings ratio that implies "Peak confidence" or "Super Peak" confidence among investors, Colas said. "Whether one likes or not, US large cap valuations imply at least a 'highly recession resistant US economy,' if not a 'recession-proof' one," he said. In the bond market, a similar story is unfolding in the 10-year US Treasury yield. When recession odds decrease, investors tend to expect two things, Colas said: They don't expect a decrease in inflation. Recessions are inherently disinflationary, and tend to reduce the overall inflation rate by an average of 4.4 percentage points, Colas said. They expect long-term interest rates to rise. That's because investors don't expect the Fed to lower interest rates to boost growth, leading to a higher 10-year yield. The 10-year US Treasury yield hovered around 4.4% on Tuesday, higher than levels seen 10 years ago. Meanwhile, the 10-year breakeven inflation rate hovered around 2.44% on Tuesday. That's also higher than the average through 2010-2019, when inflation expectations hovered around 2%. "The idea that markets are cutting future recession odds does a good job of explaining why nominal yields may remain high," Colas said. "It is optimism about the US economy's recession resistance, not pessimism regarding the Fed's inflation fighting credentials, driving this phenomenon." The research firm said it was first introduced to the idea of a "recession-proof" US economy from a previous conversation with a financial journalist. The thesis is based on five things that show increased resilience in the US economy, Colas said: The US economy avoided a recession during the 2010s. It was the first-ever decade in modern history where the economy didn't have a downturn. The economy avoided a recession that decade despite a handful of catalysts, like the Greek Debt Crisis and when the Fed raised interest rates in 2018. Since 2018, there have been more job openings than unemployed workers. The labor shortage could buffer the job market during shocks that, in the past, would have caused a recession. After the Great Financial Crisis, the US erected guardrails to keep the banking and financial sectors stable. Since the late 2010s, stock valuations have climbed higher, a possible sign equity investors"were beginning to catch on" to the idea that the economy is more resistant to downturns that in past eras. The US slipped into a recession at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and later entered a brief technical recession in 2022, when GDP contracted for two quarters in a row. But an official recession, which is declared by the National Bureau of Economic Research, hasn't arrived since the Fed began raising interest rates. Most forecasters on Wall Street expect the economy to cool off, but steer clear of an official downturn this year. According to a Bank of America survey conducted in July, 65% of global fund managers said they believed the most likely outcome for the world economy was a soft landing, while 21% said they believed the most likely outcome was a " no-landing," a situation where inflation comes down and the economy continues to expand.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store