Mortgage Rates Spike
The average 30-year, fixed mortgage rate spiked this week, to 4.58 percent—a high not hit in four years, according to Freddie Mac’s Primary Mortgage Market Survey® (PMMS®). The average was 4.47 percent the prior week.
The average 15-year, fixed rate, at the same time, was 4.02 percent, while the five-year, Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable rate was 3.74 percent—also increases from the prior week.
“Mortgage rates are now at their highest level since the week of Aug. 22, 2013,” says Sam Khater, chief economist at Freddie Mac, who notes the rate represents an 11-point surge. “Higher Treasury yields, driven by rising commodity prices, more Treasury issuances and the steady stream of solid economic news are behind the uptick in rates over the past week.”
According to Khater, the climb in costs is not deterring homebuyers.
“Despite the increase in borrowing costs, demand for home purchase credit remains solid,” Khater says. “The Mortgage Bankers Association reported in their latest mortgage applications survey that activity was up 11 percent from a year ago.”
Source: Freddie Mac
