Last week’s economic reports included readings from the National Association of Home Builders on housing market conditions, Commerce Department readings on housing starts and building permits issued and National Association of Realtors® reporting on sales of previously-owned homes. The Federal Reserve canceled the scheduled meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee and Fed Chair’s press conference, but the Fed did lower its target federal funds rate early in the week. … [Read more...]
Fed Raises Key Interest Rate For 3rd Consecutive Time
The Federal Open Market Committee of the Federal Reserve announced that it raised the target federal funds rate to a range of 2.00 percent to 2.25 percent. This was the third consecutive increase in the Fed's key interest rate and was the eighth time the Fed raised its key interest rate since 2015. In its customary post-meeting statement, Committee members cited strong economic conditions and continued labor market growth coupled with historically low unemployment rates as a basis for raising … [Read more...]
What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week – June 13, 2016
Last week's economic news was highlighted by Fed Chair Janet Yellen's speech in Philadelphia. Although Chair Yellen alluded to future Fed rate hikes, she did not specify when Fed policymakers would next raise the target federal funds rate. Increases in the fed funds rate typically signal increases in consumer credit and home mortgage rates. Last week's speech was seen as a precursor to the Federal Open Market Committee statement that will occur at the conclusion of next week's FOMC … [Read more...]
