Tag Archives: Rate Hike

The newest numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics weave a familiar tale. Industry experts cut through the numbers to reflect on the effect of the current jobs market on the housing industry.

Mortgage rates are expected to rise in the coming months as the FOMC discusses a rate hike. See how the hike and interest rates will impact homebuying power and affordability.

The U.S. labor market added 200,000 jobs and unemployment remained flat at 4.1 percent in January 2018 according to data released by the U.S. Department of Labor on ...

Though the Federal Reserve has indicated a third 2017 rate hike in their latest projections, recent happenings could delay the increase until the end of 2018.

The Federal Reserve will release the minutes of its April meeting on Wednesday afternoon, and if industry experts are on track, they could point to another rate hike on the horizon. Regional Federal Reserve Presidents Neel Kashkari, Robert Kaplan and James Bullard have all weighed in on the issue. The Fed previously raised rates from 0.75 points to 1 in March.

Despite sluggish economic growth in Q1 and the widely held assumption that the Fed would raise rates at least two more times this year, the Federal Open Market Committee opted to keep the federal funds rate as is at its May meeting. Raised in March, the rate currently sits at 1 percent. The Committee cited job gains and lower unemployment as factors in its decision.

The already low prospect of a rate hike by the Federal Reserve later this month just became even lower following a speech this week by Fed Governor Lael Brainard.

This week, mortgage rates trended up while applications declined as the Federal Reserve sent out large signals that a rate hike is imminent in June, but Friday's employment report could completely derail those plans.

The Bureau of Economic Analysis reported an upward revision to the first quarter gross domestic product, which some industry experts believe will not only signal better growth in the second quarter, but also motivate the Fed to raise rates.

The Federal Reserve has consistently been obscure in the details surrounding its monetary policy decisions, and the Federal Open Market Committee was abundantly clear on just how unsure they are about the future in regards to their recent decision to leave rates at their current level.