Latest news
22nd June, 26
What's Up With Bonds Decoupling From Oil, Etc.?
What's Up With Bonds Decoupling From Oil, Etc.? On the average trading day in the past few months, if oil prices were down, and especially if other bond markets were rallying, U.S. bonds were probably rallying too. Today was the opposite and there are no glaringly obvious reasons. It's the sort of trading session where analysts must go hunting for narratives to fit the unexpected trading action. The quarry of such hunts is fairly limited. There's the notion of an "ongoing reaction to last week's Fed announcement" (which we don't love considering there was already a friendly bounce on
What's Up With Bonds Decoupling From Oil, Etc.?
What's Up With Bonds Decoupling From Oil, Etc.? On the average trading day in the past few months, if oil prices were down, and especially if other bond markets were rallying, U.S. bonds were probably rallying too. Today was the opposite and there are no glaringly obvious reasons. It's the sort of trading session where analysts must go hunting for narratives to fit the unexpected trading action. The quarry of such hunts is fairly limited. There's the notion of an "ongoing reaction to last week's Fed announcement" (which we don't love considering there was already a friendly bounce on
22nd June, 26
Mortgage Rates Bounce Back Toward Recent Highs
Mortgage rates gave back the improvement seen last Thursday and broke above last Wednesday's levels to hit the highest mark since June 10th. This isn't a big range in the bigger picture, but it does leave rates near 10-month highs. The move is also a bit counterintuitive given developments in other markets and typical correlations. For instance, On almost any other recent trading day, if oil prices and European bond yields are both moving lower (they are), so are U.S. bond yields and rates. The disconnect may be as simple as an ongoing reaction to last week's Fed announcement which
Mortgage Rates Bounce Back Toward Recent Highs
Mortgage rates gave back the improvement seen last Thursday and broke above last Wednesday's levels to hit the highest mark since June 10th. This isn't a big range in the bigger picture, but it does leave rates near 10-month highs. The move is also a bit counterintuitive given developments in other markets and typical correlations. For instance, On almost any other recent trading day, if oil prices and European bond yields are both moving lower (they are), so are U.S. bond yields and rates. The disconnect may be as simple as an ongoing reaction to last week's Fed announcement which
22nd June, 26
Verification Letter, AI Compliance, Retention, Decisioning Tools; Fix-and-Flip Trends
Pennymac has released the latest edition of its Pennymac Policy Pulse, a newsletter tracking key federal policy developments shaping the housing market and broader U.S. economy. When national or state-level organizations engage in advocacy, they don’t visit the NAR or home builders or large title companies. They visit state legislators, Congress, or federal regulators. It has become impossible to separate politics from residential lending. Lenders are confronted with regulators, people moving states due to politics, expensive property taxes from local governments, state-specific lender and
Verification Letter, AI Compliance, Retention, Decisioning Tools; Fix-and-Flip Trends
Pennymac has released the latest edition of its Pennymac Policy Pulse, a newsletter tracking key federal policy developments shaping the housing market and broader U.S. economy. When national or state-level organizations engage in advocacy, they don’t visit the NAR or home builders or large title companies. They visit state legislators, Congress, or federal regulators. It has become impossible to separate politics from residential lending. Lenders are confronted with regulators, people moving states due to politics, expensive property taxes from local governments, state-specific lender and
22nd June, 26
Bonds Starting Weaker Despite Lower Oil and EU Bond Recovery
European bond yields surged higher on Friday in response to political uncertainty in the U.K., among other things (ongoing global reaction to Fed day and U.S./Iran peace deal status, etc). Treasury yields were set to open higher in the overnight session as a result. All of the above is logical and fairly boring. What's interesting is that Treasuries haven't taken the opportunity to recover. European yields certainly have and oil prices have steadily dropped back toward Thursday's lows. Additionally, the fact that 10yr and 2yr yields are up by the same amount suggests there's not an active Fed
Bonds Starting Weaker Despite Lower Oil and EU Bond Recovery
European bond yields surged higher on Friday in response to political uncertainty in the U.K., among other things (ongoing global reaction to Fed day and U.S./Iran peace deal status, etc). Treasury yields were set to open higher in the overnight session as a result. All of the above is logical and fairly boring. What's interesting is that Treasuries haven't taken the opportunity to recover. European yields certainly have and oil prices have steadily dropped back toward Thursday's lows. Additionally, the fact that 10yr and 2yr yields are up by the same amount suggests there's not an active Fed
18th June, 26
Perfectly Acceptable Conclusion to a Potentially Volatile Week
Perfectly Acceptable Conclusion to a Potentially Volatile Week With markets closed for the Juneteenth holiday on Friday, Thursday marked the end of the trading week. Considering the sell-off on Wednesday afternoon, the week had the potential to end on an uncomfortably volatile note. Instead, bonds pushed back nicely in the other direction--even though MBS didn't recoup as much of their losses as 10yr Treasuries. True, there is some sense of foreboding in the inability of 10yr yields to move below 4.42%, but all told, the week was actually surprisingly calm after factoring in Thursday's gains.
Perfectly Acceptable Conclusion to a Potentially Volatile Week
Perfectly Acceptable Conclusion to a Potentially Volatile Week With markets closed for the Juneteenth holiday on Friday, Thursday marked the end of the trading week. Considering the sell-off on Wednesday afternoon, the week had the potential to end on an uncomfortably volatile note. Instead, bonds pushed back nicely in the other direction--even though MBS didn't recoup as much of their losses as 10yr Treasuries. True, there is some sense of foreboding in the inability of 10yr yields to move below 4.42%, but all told, the week was actually surprisingly calm after factoring in Thursday's gains.
18th June, 26
Mortgage Rates Stage Decent Recovery of Post-Fed Losses
Mortgage rates spiked yesterday after the Fed announcement. The primary driver was the Fed's revised outlook for potential rate hikes later this year. Because the Fed Funds Rate governs ultra-short-term transactions (24hrs or less), it has the biggest impact on the shortest-term debt and a diminishing impact on longer term debt. While the typical mortgage may be ABLE to last for 30 years, in practice, the average mortgage length (due to refinances and sales) is a moving target assumed to be around 5 years. That's helping us today. Shorter-term debt is still having some indigestion over
Mortgage Rates Stage Decent Recovery of Post-Fed Losses
Mortgage rates spiked yesterday after the Fed announcement. The primary driver was the Fed's revised outlook for potential rate hikes later this year. Because the Fed Funds Rate governs ultra-short-term transactions (24hrs or less), it has the biggest impact on the shortest-term debt and a diminishing impact on longer term debt. While the typical mortgage may be ABLE to last for 30 years, in practice, the average mortgage length (due to refinances and sales) is a moving target assumed to be around 5 years. That's helping us today. Shorter-term debt is still having some indigestion over
18th June, 26
Mortgage Applications Give Back Some of Last Week's Gains
Mortgage applications pulled back last week as rates moved around in response to fresh inflation data and shifting geopolitical headlines. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported a 3.8% decline in total application volume on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending June 12. Refinance activity accounted for much of the slowdown. The Refinance Index fell 5% from the previous week, though it remained 17% above the same period one year ago. Purchase demand also softened, but has generally done a better job of holding near multi-year highs. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index
Mortgage Applications Give Back Some of Last Week's Gains
Mortgage applications pulled back last week as rates moved around in response to fresh inflation data and shifting geopolitical headlines. The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) reported a 3.8% decline in total application volume on a seasonally adjusted basis for the week ending June 12. Refinance activity accounted for much of the slowdown. The Refinance Index fell 5% from the previous week, though it remained 17% above the same period one year ago. Purchase demand also softened, but has generally done a better job of holding near multi-year highs. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index
18th June, 26
Builder Sentiment Remains Subdued
Builder sentiment slipped again in June as elevated mortgage rates, higher material costs and ongoing affordability pressures continued to weigh on the housing market. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) fell two points to 35 , marking the 14th straight month the index has remained below 40. The latest reading underscores how far confidence remains from more durable levels. A streak that long below 40 has not been seen since 2011-2012 , when the market was still dealing with the fallout from the foreclosure crisis. All three major components
Builder Sentiment Remains Subdued
Builder sentiment slipped again in June as elevated mortgage rates, higher material costs and ongoing affordability pressures continued to weigh on the housing market. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) fell two points to 35 , marking the 14th straight month the index has remained below 40. The latest reading underscores how far confidence remains from more durable levels. A streak that long below 40 has not been seen since 2011-2012 , when the market was still dealing with the fallout from the foreclosure crisis. All three major components
18th June, 26
Non-QM, Hedging, Verification Products; Training Webinars; Title Insurance Stats
Lots of people who bought cars during the pandemic are deeply underwater on those vehicles, meaning the amount they owe is considerably higher than the actual value of the vehicle. Among car buyers who traded in a car to buy a new one, 30 percent had negative equity on their trade-in, owing an average of $7,200. One thing that may have caused the surge is the emergence of the 84-month (seven year) car loan; 42.6 percent of underwater buyers had an 84-month loan, about double the level of a decade ago. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s ‘casts are sponsored by Truework,
Non-QM, Hedging, Verification Products; Training Webinars; Title Insurance Stats
Lots of people who bought cars during the pandemic are deeply underwater on those vehicles, meaning the amount they owe is considerably higher than the actual value of the vehicle. Among car buyers who traded in a car to buy a new one, 30 percent had negative equity on their trade-in, owing an average of $7,200. One thing that may have caused the surge is the emergence of the 84-month (seven year) car loan; 42.6 percent of underwater buyers had an 84-month loan, about double the level of a decade ago. (Today’s podcast can be found here and this week’s ‘casts are sponsored by Truework,
18th June, 26
Deal Signed. Warsh Digested. Bonds Stabilizing
Trump officially signed the Iran MOU last night , which helped oil prices and bond yields move a bit lower. Overseas markets also did a decent job digesting the post-Warsh trade, quarantining most of the damage to the shortest end of the yield curve and buying the longer end (i.e. 10yr rallied back almost completely while 2yr barely rallied). The net effect is a 10yr yield that is back on the doorstep of the 4.42% technical floor (currently 4.435%). MBS have a shorter implied duration than 10 years and only a bit better than halfway back to yesterday's pre-Fed levels. As a reminder, markets
Deal Signed. Warsh Digested. Bonds Stabilizing
Trump officially signed the Iran MOU last night , which helped oil prices and bond yields move a bit lower. Overseas markets also did a decent job digesting the post-Warsh trade, quarantining most of the damage to the shortest end of the yield curve and buying the longer end (i.e. 10yr rallied back almost completely while 2yr barely rallied). The net effect is a 10yr yield that is back on the doorstep of the 4.42% technical floor (currently 4.435%). MBS have a shorter implied duration than 10 years and only a bit better than halfway back to yesterday's pre-Fed levels. As a reminder, markets