Danny Salas

Chico, CA Interest Rates Market Report – Economic Influences – March 16, 2010

Careful Floating Into The Morning

FOMC Day

That’s right!  At 11:15 pm PST, Good ‘Ole Ben Bernanke and The Federal Open Market Committee will be rolling out the Interest Rate Decision and Monetary Policy Statement, from their meetings over the past two days.  It’s anticipated that the Fed will leave the overnight rate at 0.0% – 0.25%.  What will be of particular interest will be if the Fed changes their stance on their “extended period” statement regarding leaving interest rates low for an “extended period of time.”  The Fed, if not now, may very shortly be, in quite a precarious position regarding juggling inflation concerns and an economy that’s not creating jobs.  When do they pull the trigger?  Some say sooner, rather than later.  However, it’s expected that the statement will remain, with inflation concerns not too prevalent, currently.  It’s important to note, that some feel as though the “extended period” language should change somewhat.  Remember, that once the language changes, the writing’s on the wall and will effect many things, including the Carry Trade that Banks have been able to capitalize on and assist in getting out of the pickle that they were in, after the mortgage credit crisis.

$1.25% Trillion Purchase Program

The world will also be interested in a solid confirmation that the government is not interested in extending that $1.25% Trillion Government Mortgage-Backed Security Program.  With this major player out of the purchase market, rates will suffer.

Housing Trajectory

Housing Starts were 575,000 for February.  Building Permits were reported at 611,000.  The government said that the overall housing starts were down 5.9% and permits were down 1.6%.  This is somewhat confusing, because housing starts are up 39%, on a year-over-year basis.  Building permits are up 32% on a year-over-year basis.  So, the housing trend trajectory is moving in the right direction, it just might be gradual.

This Afternoon, Things Could Change To A Lock Mode

Locking Advice

I would feel comfortable locking, however, it’s okay to float into the Fed Policy Statement.  We have support at the 50-Day Moving Average, but pricing is already built into a near certain decision to leave the fed-funds rate at 0.0% – 0.25%.  So, there would have to be a huge surprise to have any significant movement to lower interest rates.   Either way, it’s a good time to buy!

YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS EVENT!!!

Scott St. John will be speaking at The Big Room At Sierra Nevada, Friday, March 26, 2010.  Scott is a 3rd-Term Governing Board Member of Freddie Mac.  You’ll have an opportunity to inquire into expected economic future of the United States, Real Estate and its REO future, and what’s happening behind the scenes that is making closing loans to more timely and difficult, these days.   REGISTER AT THE CHICO OR PARADISE BOARD OFFICES.  $10 includes appetizers.  $15.00 AT THE DOOR!

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Related Must Reads

Extended Period
Carry Trade: The Investment Opportunity of a Lifetime
Why Higher Rates?

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Chico, CA Interest Rates Market Report – Economic Influences – March 12, 2010

YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS EVENT!!!

Scott St. John will be speaking at The Big Room At Sierra Nevada, Friday, March 26, 2010.  Scott is a 3rd-Term Governing Board Member of Freddie Mac.  You’ll have an opportunity to inquire into expected economic future of the United States, Real Estate and its REO future, and what’s happening behind the scenes that is making closing loans to more timely and difficult, these days.   REGISTER AT THE CHICO OR PARADISE BOARD OFFICES.  $10 includes appetizers.  $15.00 AT THE DOOR!

We're All Over The Place, This Morning

Stocks Battling Resistance

Just like Bonds have Trend Lines that are tough to crack, so do stocks.  The S & P 500 had a difficult time breaking through a tough line of resistance at the 1,150 level.  This helped Mortgage-Backed Securities push back up after tail-spinning down 28 Basis Points, early in the morning.  Then, the Consumer Sentiment report came out weaker than expected.  However, as you dissect the particulars of Consumer Sentiment, it shows that One-year inflation expectations rose to 2.8% in March from 2.7% in February.  So, Bonds are now struggling and Stocks are taking more of a bullish attitude.

What The Appointment of Janet Yellen Means

This is, of course, speculation, however, history shows us that Janet Yellen favors lower rates, even at the risk of higher inflation.  President Obama has slated her for the Vice-Chairman position.  The concern, here, is that the world is watching.  With inflation risks looming in the air, investors will tread lightly about investing in fixed mortgage security instruments, and this could cause rates to climb, quickly.

Retail Sales Surprise

That’s right.  Even in light of the horrible, icy storms all over the country, Retail Sales rose 0.3% in February.  Yesterday, we commented on how this would effect rates, particularly when we expected a -0.2% drop.  When stripping out automobile sales we climbed a remarkable 0.8%, while only expecting a modest 0.1% increase.  This is truly news.

Consumer Sentiment

As mentioned above, Consumer Sentiment was a dismal figure, however, when breaking down the particulars, the market noted that inflation expectations are steadily increasing.  Coupled with today’s other inflation concerns, and knowing from reading this article that inflation is the nemesis of interest rates…you see the writing on the wall?

We've Bounced Off of The 200-Day 2 X's Already

Locking Advice

If you haven’t taken advantage of locking, you may as well float, today, to see how the market plays out.  Knowing when to lock is key to financial security when purchasing a home.  I have some of the lowest interest rates on the planet, with over 65 banks to choose from, including Access Real Estate Lending’s own Bank with plenty of lenders in my warehouse line.  Call me for sound real estate financing advice.  Have a great weekend!

Related Must Reads

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Chico, CA Interest Rates Market Report – Economic Influences – March 11, 2010

We Have Some Support

30-Year Treasury Note Auction

Investors are lost, not knowing what to do with their funds, until the results of the 30-Year Treasury Note Auction is in, which will be at about 10:00 a.m. PST.  The two earlier auctions, this week, went quite well.  However, as I write, we’re currently down 16 basis points.  Most banks will have a re-price for the worse for about .125% Point in cost.

Jobless Claims Better, But…

The number of people filing new unemployment claims, fell 6,000, this week, to a seasonally adjusted 462,000.  We won’t see the labor market correcting itself until we see less than 400,000 claims on a week-over-week basis.  However, there is some positiveness in these numbers, as a 159,000 decrease in Unemployment Compensation Claims and a 15,000 decrease in extended benefits programs, can hopefully set a pace for a labor recovery, somewhere down the line, however, we still have a long way to go.

China’s Impact On US

“My little China Girl, you should mess with me.  I’ll ruin everything you are!”  David Bowie’s famous line from “China Girl.”  Words to reflect on…China’s inflation numbers are getting close to scary.  China reported that their Consumer Prices rose 2.7%.  They had anticipated a 2.5% increase and feel as though 3.0% is quite inflationary.  Keep in mind that the United States comfort level, with their own inflation measures, is closer to 2.0%.  The problem, here, is that if China starts to feel their own inflationary concerns, they could curb that by not participating in purchasing US Bonds and Mortgage-Backed Securities.  This, of course, would cause interest rates to increase, as there wouldn’t be another large player in the Bond Market.

Retail Sales Released Tomorrow

With today’s Jobless Claims Numbers not really effecting rates too much, the auctions, China’s news, and tomorrow’s Retail Sales Numbers are what have moved rates, up and down, this week.  We’re expecting a 0.2% decrease in Retail Sales, for last month.  It could be a rate mover.

We've Broken Through Two Lines Of Support

Locking Advice

Since we have broken through the 100-Day Moving Average, and opened up the day, so far, below the 25-Day and 40-Day Moving Average, there seems to be a little support at the 50-Day Moving Average.  We may want to see if the 50-Day holds a little support, into tomorrow’s Retail Sales numbers.  So, I’d float, into the day, if we break below the 50-Day, Lock…if not…we may have an opportunity, first thing tomorrow.

Related Must Reads

China’s Credit Tightening
The Real Unemployment Numbers
Trend Lines / Moving Averages…What Do They Mean?

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Chico, CA Interest Rates Market Report – Economic Influences – March 8, 2010

Careful Floating Into The Morning

Greece IV

It looks like the European Union (EU) will reluctantly bail out Greece.  The uncertainty, in Greece, has helped Mortgage-Backed Securities, as of late, however, the recent developments will definitely change the playing field, and put pressure on interest rates.  With no real economic reports, being released, until Thursday, we’ll have to watch the Stock Market and other technical factors to get a glimpse of where rates will head.

This Week’s Auctions

Tomorrow, $40 Billion in 3-Year Notes will be auctioned.  $21 Billion in 10-Year Notes followed by $13 Billion in 30-Year Notes will finish the week.

Careful Floating Into The Morning

Locking Advice

I like the idea of floating into the day and watching bonds, closely.  We may have to switch to a lock mode.  Earlier this morning, we were down 12 Basis Points, however, currently, we’re down 3.  Not too much movement, but enough to hold steady and see if rates and bond values can remain above the 100-Day Moving Average.

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