mortgage rates

Newly built homes in the U.S. have shrunk to their smallest average size in two decades as buyers pay more for less space, pinched by higher mortgage rates and fading affordability, new analyses show. Average Home Size Falls As Prices, Rates Bite The average new single-family home sold in 2024...

Mortgage fraud is a serious allegation, one that President Donald Trump has hurled toward three of his staunch critics: Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, New York State Attorney General Letitia James and California Senator Adam Schiff. Then there’s Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton,...

Mortgage giants Fannie Mae (OTC:FNMA) and Freddie Mac (OTC:FMCC) may be on the path out of government conservatorship, as a new report builds on earlier signals from President Donald Trump about plans to return the firms to public ownership. What Happened: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have been under...

As President Donald Trump pressures Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to cut interest rates, his newly passed tax-and-spending bill may be making that goal harder to achieve. What Happened: The Trump administration's proposed tax bill, which supporters dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill,...

Homebuilder ETFs posted modest gains Wednesday after a slight uptick in housing starts, but the rally may prove short-lived. During Wednesday afternoon trading, both the iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF (BATS:ITB) and the SPDR S&P Homebuilders ETF (NYSE:XHB) gained over 1%. Markets are...

Home improvement retailer The Home Depot (NYSE:HD) could be a gauge for the do-it-yourself growth in the era of high home prices and mortgage rates when the company reports first-quarter financial results Tuesday before market open. Here are the earnings estimates, what experts are saying ahead of...

Best known for shorting stocks like GameStop, Citron Research's Andrew Left also shares long calls on stocks that are undervalued by Wall Street. Citron shared its latest stock pick Tuesday, a company it believes is misunderstood by investors. What Happened: Citron said Tuesday it is "pounding the...

President Donald Trump’s tariff announcements led to a sell-off in the stock market and prompted investors to move to safer assets such as Treasury bonds. The 10-year Treasury yield declined and the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate dropped from 6.75% to 6.55% last week.  Mortgage Rates:...

Mortgage rates are rising again — and that’s bad news for homebuyers and refinancers. But, it may be an exciting opportunity to make money for investors looking at mortgage-backed securities (MBS) ETFs. With the most recent figures indicating a big decline in mortgage applications, the...

In the week ended Feb. 21, U.S. mortgage rates declined to their lowest levels this year, Bloomberg reported, presenting potential opportunities for investors in mortgage-backed securities (MBS) ETFs. Although the decline was not deep enough to trigger increased lending activities immediately, the...

The January Consumer Price Index came in higher than expected with inflation hot to start 2025. What Happened: CPI rose 3% on a year-over-year basis in January, missing expectations for 2.9%. CPI was up 0.5% on an adjusted basis from December to January, up from 0.4% in the previous report. Rising...

Fixed-rate mortgage rates have steadily declined, marking a third consecutive week of decrease. Freddie Mac's data shows that 30-year fixed-rate mortgage now averages 6.60%, significantly lower than the 6.95% rate from a year ago. "The combination of mortgage rate declines, firm consumer income...

U.S. mortgage demand saw its steepest weekly drop in over four years, as a sharp rise in interest rates caught homebuyers off guard. After weeks of steady declines, the new surge in interest rates has driven away potential buyers, with many sidelined due to affordability concerns. The Mortgage...

A sharp reversal in mortgage rates has taken U.S. homebuyers by surprise, leading to the largest drop in weekly mortgage applications since mid-August. The sudden uptick in rates adds pressure to an already challenging housing market, where affordability and supply are becoming increasingly...

Homebuilder KB Home (NYSE:KBH) could provide a look at how healthy the sector is and what the 2024 election and a recent Federal Reserve rate cut mean for the company when third-quarter earnings are reported Tuesday after market close. Earnings Estimates: Analysts expect KB Home to report third-...