Gold Consolidates; Likely Supported by Signs of Disinflation
2347 GMT — Gold consolidates in early Asian trade, but is likely supported by signs of disinflation. Gold prices have been showing notable resilience, Pepperstone's Quasar Elizundia says in an email. A key driver behind this resilience has been the latest U.S. CPI and PPI readings, which have given encouraging disinflationary signals, the research strategist says. This incipient disinflationary environment has led to falling U.S. Treasury yields, which reduce the opportunity cost of holding the non-yielding precious metal, Elizundia adds. Spot gold is little changed at $3,238.36/oz. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)
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Yahoo
21 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Mortgage and refinance interest rates today, June 12, 2025: Decreases following favorable inflation report
Mortgage interest rates are lower this morning, following a better-than-expected inflation report on Wednesday. According to Zillow, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell five basis points to 6.76%, while the 15-year fixed rate moved three basis points lower, to 5.96%. The latest Consumer Price Index showed inflation notching a slight 0.1% increase, with any tariff-related impact not yet affecting the public's pocketbooks. While that's good news for consumers, it means any rate cut by the Federal Reserve will likely be delayed until September. For mortgage rates, it remains business as usual: waiting for a reason to make a substantial move up or down. Dig deeper: What the latest CPI report means for mortgage rates Here are the current mortgage rates, according to the latest Zillow data: 30-year fixed: 6.76% 20-year fixed: 6.34% 15-year fixed: 5.96% 5/1 ARM: 6.84% 7/1 ARM: 6.46% 30-year VA: 6.28% 15-year VA: 5.65% 5/1 VA: 6.20% Remember, these are the national averages and rounded to the nearest hundredth. Learn more: How to get the lowest mortgage rate possible Here are today's mortgage refinance interest rates, according to the latest Zillow data: 30-year fixed: 6.83% 20-year fixed: 6.35% 15-year fixed: 5.95% 5/1 ARM: 7.13% 7/1 ARM: 6.59% 30-year VA: 6.31% 15-year VA: 6.04% 5/1 VA: 6.08% As with the purchase mortgage rates, these are national averages we've rounded to the nearest hundredth. Refinance rates can be higher than purchase mortgage rates, but that isn't always the case. Use the mortgage calculator below to see how various mortgage rates will impact your monthly payments. The free Yahoo Finance mortgage payment calculator goes even deeper by including factors like homeowners insurance and property taxes in your calculation. You can even add private mortgage insurance costs and HOA dues if they apply to you. These monthly expenses, along with your mortgage principal and interest rate, will give you a realistic idea of what your monthly payment could be. A mortgage interest rate is a fee for borrowing money from your lender, expressed as a percentage. There are two basic types of mortgage rates: fixed and adjustable rates. A fixed-rate mortgage locks in your rate for the entire life of your loan. For example, if you get a 30-year mortgage with a 6% interest rate, your rate will stay at 6% for the entire 30 years. (Unless you refinance or sell the home.) An adjustable-rate mortgage keeps your rate the same for the first few years, then changes it periodically. Let's say you get a 5/1 ARM with an introductory rate of 6%. Your rate would be 6% for the first five years and then the rate would increase or decrease once per year for the last 25 years of your term. Whether your rate goes up or down depends on several factors, such as the economy and U.S. housing market. At the beginning of your mortgage term, most of your monthly payment goes toward interest. As time passes, less of your payment goes toward interest, and more goes toward the mortgage principal or the amount you originally borrowed. Dig deeper: Adjustable-rate vs. fixed-rate mortgage — Which should you choose? Two categories determine mortgage rates: ones you can control and ones you cannot control. What factors can you control? First, you can compare the best mortgage lenders to find the one that gives you the lowest rate and fees. Second, lenders typically extend lower rates to people with higher credit scores, lower debt-to-income (DTI) ratios, and considerable down payments. If you can save more or pay down debt before securing a mortgage, a lender will probably give you a better interest rate. What factors can you not control? In short, the economy. The list of ways the economy impacts mortgage rates is long, but here are the basic details. If the economy — think employment rates, for example — is struggling, mortgage rates go down to encourage borrowing, which helps boost the economy. If the economy is strong, mortgage rates go up to temper spending. With all other things being equal, mortgage refinance rates are usually a little higher than purchase rates. So don't be surprised if your refinance rate is higher than you may have expected. Two of the most common mortgage terms are 30-year and 15-year fixed-rate mortgages. Both lock in your rate for the entire loan term. A 30-year mortgage is popular because it has relatively low monthly payments. But it comes with a higher interest rate than shorter terms, and because you're accumulating interest for three decades, you'll pay a lot of interest in the long run. A 15-year mortgage can be great because it has a lower rate than you'll get with longer terms, so you'll pay less in interest over the years. You'll also pay off your mortgage much faster. But your monthly payments will be higher because you're paying off the same loan amount in half the time. Basically, 30-year mortgages are more affordable from month to month, while 15-year mortgages are cheaper in the long run. According to 2024 Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) data, some of the banks with the lowest median mortgage rates are Bank of America and Citibank. However, it's a good idea to shop around for the best rate with not just banks, but also credit unions and companies specializing in mortgage lending. Yes, 2.75% is a fantastic mortgage rate. You're unlikely to get a 2.75% rate in today's market unless you take on an assumable mortgage from a seller who locked in this rate in 2020 or 2021, when rates were at all-time lows. According to Freddie Mac, the lowest-ever 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 2.65%. This was the national average in January 2021. It is extremely unlikely that rates will dip below 3% again anytime soon. Some experts say it's worth refinancing when you can lock in a rate that's 2% less than your current mortgage rate. Others say 1% is the magic number. It all depends on what your financial goals are when refinancing and when your break-even point would be after paying refinance closing costs.
Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Wall Street Journal
Treasury Yields Fall Amid Concerning Labor Data, Mild Inflation
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CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
Governor Wes Moore to announce initiative to lower energy costs in Maryland
Amid rising energy costs, Maryland Governor Wes Moore plans to announce a new initiative to lower energy costs Thursday morning. On Jan. 1, Baltimore Gas and Electric raised rates, increasing the average residential gas bill by 9% and the electric bill by 7%. The cost of energy in Maryland continued to rise BGE customers and state leaders publicly challenged the increases, which were a part of the company's planned multi-year utility rate hikes. In February, the Baltimore City Council called on state regulators to stop the increases, which totaled $602 million over the course of three years. BGE said the increase was necessary to cover the cost of continued investments in gas and electric distribution systems. In March, City Council President Zeke Cohen led a community walk, going door to door to collect signatures on a petition that asked the Maryland Public Service Commission (PSC) to stop the hikes. Some customers experienced price hikes larger than the stated increase rates, with some residents reporting that their winter bills climbed by more than $200. In response to the hikes, lawmakers passed a bill, the Next Generation Energy Act, which aims to reduce costs by directing the Public Service Commission to reject multi-year rate hikes that don't demonstrate customer benefit, and prohibiting utilities from charging ratepayers for certain expenses like trade association memberships and private planes. Why have energy costs increased? BGE said those additional increases seen by consumers were a result of an increase in the price of natural gas and increased gas usage. Then again on June 1, BGE's electricity cost to consumers rose by $16 monthly, which the company said was due to an unexpected spike in capacity auction prices and the Talen Energy reliability-must-run (RMR) fee. When BGE announced the increase, the Maryland General Assembly wrote a letter urging federal legislators to stop the increase. They blamed PJM Interconnection, the region's power grid operator, for miscalculating the supply and demand for electricity during the capacity market auction, a competitive bidding process where power companies promise to make their electricity generation available in the future.
