The Federal Reserve meets 8 times a year to set its policy rate: The Fed Funds Rate. At next week’s meeting, a “rate hike” is a foregone conclusion. And that’s precisely why it doesn’t matter.
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Next Week's Fed Rate Hike Won't Affect Rates

Italian political drama already had an impressive impact on US interest rates by the end of last week. This week brought more surprises and even bigger reactions for better and worse (and in that order).
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
How Italy Rocked Rates And What To Watch For Next

It was a complex week in the world of mortgage rates and housing markets. Such complexity often creates inconsistent news coverage. At best, most of the coverage fell short. At worst, some of it was downright wrong. Let’s clear things up!
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Don't Be Fooled By Fake News on Rates and Housing

This week’s key story was the big spike in interest rates. Is it something that deserves our attention? Certainly! That’s why we give rising rates plenty of attention week after week. That having been said, is it the end of the world for the housing market? Certainly not.
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Higher Rates Deserve Attention, Not Panic

The US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal dominated the news this week. This will arguably impact rates, albeit in a subtle, roundabout way. The housing market won’t care much, but it’s not without its own challenges.
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Housing Can Survive Higher Rates

One short week after witnessing a return of interest rate volatility, it disappeared again this week. Sure, there were some small-scale ups and downs throughout the week, but in the bigger picture, investors are wrestling with bigger decisions.
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Too Soon to Think About The Next Recession?

Last week marked an abrupt end to the gentle, sideways-to-slightly-lower trend in interest rates that had been intact since late February. This week, things got worse.
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Interest Rate Volatility Comes Roaring Back

2018 began with a massive spike in interest rates. It was the proverbial big bad wolf for housing markets and for financial markets in general, or so we’re told. Refreshingly, the wolf was on vacation in March, but now he’s back, huffing and puffing.
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Housing Market Not Very Scared of Big Bad Wolf

Do the President’s tweets really move rates? Of course that’s going to depend on what he says, so let’s take a look at this week specifically. Tweets relating to missiles, Syria, and Putin got a lot of attention. At times, it seemed like the biggest issue of the week as far as rates were concerned.
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Do Interest Rates Really Care About Trump Tweets?

One great (frustrating) thing about financial market discourse is the fact that so many words have more than one meaning. “Test” is a good example. Among market analysts, “test” can refer to a line on a chart attempting to break through a certain barrier. With that in mind, this week saw several important tests, and next week promises at least one more.
Source: Kevin Litwicki Universal Lending
Lowest Rates in 2 Months Face Big Test Next Week