Wednesday, July 15, 2009

RateWatch - What Goes Up, Must Come Down

Market: Bonds are taking a hammering the last couple days (off 65bps today), with economic news better than expected. Empire State manufacturing numbers were, well, not UP, but a lot less DOWN than expected, and core CPI doubled from .1 to .2, so the stock market moved up and bonds are coming down. This takes rates higher. We're in the low 5% range and moving toward 5.5%.

Analysis: A manufacturing reading of 0 means that the industry is stable, so today's reading of -.55 is not good news except in the context of last month's reading, which was -.9.45. So things are looking up. Sort of. The inflation number continued to be higher, boosted by a spike in oil prices, but stripping that out the core CPI was still higher than expected, the second such inflation reading to the high side this week. Mortgage-backed securities have dropped about 100 bps this week so far, a now three-day negative run. We've given back most of what we got last week.

The economy is still in a shambles, but just as nothing goes up in a straight line, nothing comes down in a straight line, either. There are inevitable plateaus, and every plateau looks like a potential bottom, especially to a population starved for good economic news. In the macro sense, I hate to say this, but in the mortgage rate sense, I'm happy to report, that the economy is still moving the wrong way and doing so with some rapidity. We are not at the bottom yet. Repeat. NOT at the bottom yet.

Look for rates to make a small rise here, then drift back to where we were last Thursday, or even a skoshe lower.

Cj
Chris Jones
City 1st Mortgage Services
801-310-3407

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1 Comments:

Anonymous Bank Rates said...

Today we are still in better position. It is good that at the time of recession we have at least maintained a balancing position. I think we will regain the manufacturing position back to normal in coming year.

6:50 PM  

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