In hopeful sign, US mortgage rates at lowest level since September

Robert Besser
24 Jan 2023, 06:28 GMT+10

Data from the Mortgage Bankers Association released this week showed that the average interest rate on leading US home loans dropped to its lowest level since September
For the week ending on 31st January, the average contract rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell by 6.23 percent to 19 basis points
The yield on the 10-year note acts as a benchmark for mortgage rates

WASHINGTON D.C.: Data from the Mortgage Bankers Association released this week showed that the average interest rate on leading US home loans dropped to its lowest level since September, indicating that inflation has past its peak as Treasury yields decrease.

For the week ending on 31st January, the average contract rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage fell by 6.23 percent to 19 basis points, as financial markets have been encouraged by recent data showing that inflation is slowing, which will enable the Federal Reserve to curb its interest rate hikes.

The yield on the 10-year note acts as a benchmark for mortgage rates.

As the Federal Reserve Bank raised its benchmark policy rate in 2022 at the most rapid rate in 40 years, mortgage rates surged to more than 7 percent in October.

Lower mortgage rates have attracted more buyers, with the Mortgage Bankers Association's Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, rising 27.9 percent from last week, the highest increase since March 2020.

After lifting its policy rate by 50 basis points in December, the US central bank is expected to slow its pace of rate hikes to a quarter percentage point increase when it next meets on 31st January and 1st February.

Watch latest videos

News RELEASES

Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Buffalo Breeze.

More Information

60 ℉

Cloudy in Buffalo

Business

Section

240,000 Ford EcoSport SUVs being investigated for oil pump failures

WASHINGTON D.C.: After consumer complaints of oil pump failures, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation ...

U.S. stocks make minor gains, Nasdaq Composite climbs 60 points

NEW YORK, New York - With no major news Monday, and nothing on the horizon, U.S. stocks remained little moved, ...

US Federal Reserve cutting 300 people from payroll

WASHINGTON D.C.: In a small but rare reduction to its headcount, which has grown steadily since 2010, the US Federal ...

Rite Aid may close over 400 stores, allow creditors to run operations

CAMP HILL, Pennsylvania: This week, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Rite Aid could shut down some 400 to ...

US Transportation Secretary says New York's ATC needs more staff

WASHINGTON D.C.: U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has criticized the air traffic control staffing shortages in New York as "unacceptable" ...