Two Fed officials, Christopher J. Waller and Michelle Bowman, dissented. Waller supported a 25 basis-point cut due to minimal tariff effects and increased labor market risks. Bowman advocates for a gradual shift to a neutral policy stance, citing slowing economic growth and a less dynamic labor market. A growing number of market participants — 88%
Rates have shown less volatility since April, coinciding with President Donald Trump’s global tariff policies. The 30-year conforming rate has barely deviated from a narrow band between 6.8% and 7% since mid-April, according to HousingWire’s data. The market has also had stability due to a consistent policy stance by the Federal Reserve, which has held
Help from the Federal Reserve in the form of lower benchmark rates is unlikely to arrive this month. The CME Group’s FedWatch tool on Tuesday showed that 95% of interest rate traders believe the federal funds rate will remain in a range of 4.25% to 4.5% when the Federal Open Market Committee meets at the
Much of the recent movement in rates can be tied to the Trump administration’s political machinations at the Federal Reserve. The president has continued to point fingers at Fed Chair Jerome Powell for failing to lower rates more quickly, even as inflation nears the Fed’s goal of 2% per year and unemployment remains relatively low
‘Little urgency to cut rates’ The odds of a rate cut by the Federal Reserve have steadily dropped during the spring and are a virtual lock to remain unchanged this week. According to the CME Group’s FedWatch tool, 99.8% of interest rate traders think the Fed will leave benchmark rates at a range of 4.25%
The 30-year conforming rate has been relatively volatile since the start of the year, but its low point for 2025 came on April 11 when it reached 6.69%. That’s a higher number than many consumers and mortgage professionals would like, although home sales and mortgage demand are up from one year ago. Fed’s Waller on
Piggybacking on previous comments from President Donald Trump, Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte said on social media that “Jay Powell needs to lower interest rates — enough is enough. President Trump has crushed Biden’s inflation, and there is no reason not to lower rates. The housing market would be in much better
Many 2025 housing market forecasts were hopeful that lower rates would’ve arrived by now to accompany the typical peak of the spring purchase season. But economic uncertainty sparked by President Donald Trump’s global tariff policies and resulting fears of rising inflation have kept rates near 7% for much of the year. Fed effects The Federal
What will happen to home sales? The upward movement serves as a bucket of cold water for a housing market that has had a relatively healthy level of activity at the start of the spring purchase season. Altos data released Monday showed that weekly pending single-family home sales rose slightly compared to year-ago levels as