Mortgage rates rise following robust jobs report

The gains to 30-year and 15-year rates follow five weeks of declines: Freddie Mac

Mortgage rates rise following robust jobs report

The gains to 30-year and 15-year rates follow five weeks of declines: Freddie Mac
Following five weeks of declines, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage gained five basis points to average 6.72% for the week ending June 10

Mortgage rates had a setback this week in their steady downward march.

Following five straight weeks of declines, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage gained five basis points this week and averaged 6.72%, according to Freddie Mac’s rate survey released Thursday. The 15-year rate rose six basis points to 5.86%.

Compared to the same week last year, the 30-year rate is down 0.17% and the 15-year rate is 0.31% lower.

“After declining for five consecutive weeks, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage moved slightly higher following a stronger than expected jobs report,” Freddie Mac Chief Economist Sam Khater observed in a press release. “Despite ongoing affordability challenges in the housing market, we are seeing home purchase and refinance applications respond to the downward trajectory in rates, increasing by 25% and 56%, respectively, compared to the same time last year.”

The jobs report mentioned by Khater was released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics on July 3. It revealed that U.S. employers added a seasonally adjusted 147,000 nonfarm jobs in June and the unemployment rate dipped 10 basis points to 4.1%. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had predicted 115,000 job gains and a slightly higher unemployment rate of 4.3%.

Mortgage rates typically rise following a strong jobs report, as hiring gains serve as an indicator for increased borrower demand. Cooling unemployment trends also generally reduce the odds that the Federal Reserve will cut the benchmark federal funds rate, which has an indirect impact on mortgage borrowing costs.

The Mortgage Bankers Association reported Wednesday that seasonally adjusted mortgage applications increased 9.4% last week. Those gains were fueled by a dip in mortgage rates, with the 30-year rate falling 0.1% for the week ending July 3, its largest weekly decline since early March, according to Freddie Mac.

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