Rate Lock Advisory - Friday Jan. 23rd



Friday's bond market has opened in negative territory yet again even with the stock markets mixed. The Dow is currently down 109 points while the Nasdaq is currently up 3 points. The bond market is currently down 17/32, which will likely push this morning's mortgage rates higher by approximately .250 of a discount point.

There is no relevant economic news scheduled for release today. If the stock markets remain near current levels, we should see bond prices and mortgage rates likely follow suit. However, a rebound in stocks could lead to higher mortgage rates this afternoon.

Next week brings us the release of several relevant reports for the markets to digest. There are two scheduled to be posted Monday, but neither are considered to be highly important. We will get December's Existing Home Sales and Leading Economic Indicators late Monday morning.

The rest of the week has several important reports scheduled for release in addition to the first FOMC meeting of the year. I am expecting to see a very active week in the markets and mortgage pricing. Look for more details on next week's events in Sunday's weekly preview.

If I were considering financing/refinancing a home, I would.... Lock if my closing was taking place within 7 days... Lock if my closing was taking place between 8 and 20 days... Float if my closing was taking place between 21 and 60 days... Float if my closing was taking place over 60 days from now... This is only my opinion of what I would do if I were financing a home. It is only an opinion and cannot be guaranteed to be in the best interest of all/any other borrowers.

©Mortgage Commentary 2009