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?

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

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

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?

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?

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?

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

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?

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

Last week’s newsletter asked whether or not the highest interest rates behind us. At the time, this was a relatively new and bold assertion. Now, this week makes that assessment look tame by comparison.
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Just When You Thought It Couldn't Get Any Crazier