By some measures, housing and mortgage markets took a turn for the worse in 2018. Some of the weakness can be thought of in a positive light (i.e. housing catching its breath after a strong run). But the rest of the weakness was cause for concern. It raised questions as to how deep the housing and mortgage market corrections might go.
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Why 2019 Could Actually be Great For Housing and Mortgage Markets
Lowest Rates in a Year, And They Could Go Even Lower. What Changed?
The last 2 months of 2018 marked a solid run for mortgage rates. December in particular was the best month in at least at least 4 years in terms of the pace of improvement. Balance that against the fact that early November saw the highest rates in more than 7 years!
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Lowest Rates in a Year, And They Could Go Even Lower. What Changed?
Why We're Seeing Huge Moves in Home Sales, Prices, and Rates
Brace yourself. There’s a lot to unpack this week. When it comes to factors affecting home sales, rates, and markets in general, we’ve rarely seen such a combination of complexity and uncertainty.
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Why We're Seeing Huge Moves in Home Sales, Prices, and Rates
Housing Market Weakness Depends on Perspective
This week’s biggest housing-related headline was the drop to a 3-year low in Existing Home Sales. Combined with other recent housing data, things are clearly not as good as they had been. But where you draw the line between doom, gloom, and reality depends on your perspective.
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Housing Market Weakness Depends on Perspective
Is This The Last Chance for Low Rates?
Interest rates have enjoyed several months of prosperity without any major bounce back toward higher levels, but that may be in the process of changing as of this week. Could this be the last time we see rates this low?
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Is This The Last Chance for Low Rates?
Does Housing Care About The Shutdown?
As long as we’re talking about government shutdowns that last about 3 weeks, past precedent is highly informative, but the longer the current shutdown continues, the more we’ll be in uncharted territory. This is especially true for the housing market.
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Does Housing Care About The Shutdown?
Is Everything Already Changing in 2019?
It was a long December for the stock market, which had its worst month since the financial crisis (in terms of % change). Meanwhile, interest rates had their best month since June 2016.
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Is Everything Already Changing in 2019?
Big Risks and Opportunities Heading Into The New Year
The 11th-hour volatility raises a few big questions about what’s on the horizon. Could rates continue to drop or was this just a temporary diversion? Will stocks regain much of the recently lost territory, or are we merely at the beginning of an even bigger crash?
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Big Risks and Opportunities Heading Into The New Year
What's Up With Market Madness After Fed's Rate Hike?
Last week we discussed the possibility of mortgage rates continuing to fall despite the near certainty of this week’s Fed rate hike. That’s exactly what happened, but it was the move in stocks that got the most attention–not a surprising result given the following chart.
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
What's Up With Market Madness After Fed's Rate Hike?
The Fed Will Hike, But Rates Could Keep Falling
Last week, we discussed a surprising spike in market volatility. Fortunately, one of the volatile moves involved interest rates dropping to their lowest levels since September. This week has been quite different.
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
The Fed Will Hike, But Rates Could Keep Falling