Economists' Outlook

Housing stats and analysis from NAR's research experts.

Daily Economic Update: Mortgage Rates and Inflation

Each day the Research staff takes a look at recently released economic indicators, addressing what these indicators mean for REALTORS® and their clients. Today’s update highlights mortgage rates and inflation.

dfu041811

  • The yield on the 10-year Treasury closed Friday at 3.43%, 16 bps lower than the previous week. The decrease in the Treasury rate was mostly attributable to a smaller than expected increase in the core consumer price index which increased by 0.1% in March from February. Analysts had expected a 0.2% monthly increase. Although prices excluding food and energy increased very modestly in March, the overall CPI increased by 0.5% in March and by 2.7% from March 2010.
  • The average annual inflation expectation in the U.S. over the next ten years remained relatively unchanged at 2.61%.
  • The 30 year fixed mortgage rate closed Friday at 4.95%, 6 bps below the previous Friday’s close.
  • Stronger inflation will put upward pressure on long term interest rates to increase. NAR is forecasting interest rates to increase to 5.6% by the end of 2011. The cost of financing a $170,000 home purchase with a 20% down-payment over 30 years would increase by approximately $600/year with a 60 bps increase in the mortgage rate.
Notice: The information on this page may not be current. The archive is a collection of content previously published on one or more NAR web properties. Archive pages are not updated and may no longer be accurate. Users must independently verify the accuracy and currency of the information found here. The National Association of REALTORS® disclaims all liability for any loss or injury resulting from the use of the information or data found on this page.

Advertisement