Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Aug 14
30-Year Mortgage Rate Falls to 6.69% as Softer Inflation and Oil Ease Yield Pressure
Updated
Updated · abcnews.com · Aug 14

30-Year Mortgage Rate Falls to 6.69% as Softer Inflation and Oil Ease Yield Pressure

3 articles · Updated · abcnews.com · Aug 14

Summary

  • Mortgage News Daily put the average 30-year fixed rate at 6.69% on Thursday, down from as high as 6.83% in late July and the lowest in nearly four weeks.
  • Cooling inflation data and a pause in large-scale Middle East fighting helped push Treasury yields lower, easing the pressure that higher oil prices had put on mortgage borrowing costs.
  • Oil briefly fell to $78.11 a barrel last week before rebounding above $87 on Friday, while July producer prices were flat and consumer inflation eased slightly, giving markets a clearer read on fuel-driven price risks.
  • Rates still remain well above the sub-6% level seen before the Iran war in late February, leaving affordability strained and reinforcing the housing market's lock-in effect as owners resist giving up cheaper existing mortgages.

Insights

Will this slight dip in mortgage rates actually trap buyers by pushing already record-high home prices even higher?
With a massive housing deficit, are global conflicts permanently rewriting the rules of American real estate affordability?