NEW YORK, NY - Mortgage rates moved higher following a stronger than expected jobs report, with the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage rate rising to 4.31 percent, according to Bankrate.com's weekly national survey. The average 30-year fixed mortgage has an average of 0.33 discount and origination points.
The average 15-year fixed mortgage rate inched higher to 3.41 percent, while the larger jumbo 30-year fixed mortgage rate increased to 4.33 percent. Adjustable rate mortgages were mixed, with the 5-year ARM holding steady at 3.33 percent and the 10-year ARM climbing to 3.88 percent.
So why did a blockbuster jobs report have such a muted impact on mortgage rates? In large part the flood of cheap money from central banks around the globe is keeping a lid on rates, even in the face of the type of economic news that historically has pushed rates higher in a more pronounced way. Many investors around the globe are parking this cheap cash in the safety of U.S. Treasury securities, at yields that are favorable to what can be found elsewhere around the globe. Mortgage rates are closely related to yields on long-term government debt.
As 2013 came to a close, the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 4.69 percent. At that time, a $200,000 loan would have carried a monthly payment of $1,036.07. After drifting lower throughout the first half of 2014, the average rate is now 4.31 percent, and the monthly payment for the same size loan would be $990.92, a savings of $45 per month for anyone that waited.
SURVEY RESULTS
30-year fixed: 4.31% -- up from 4.28% last week (avg. points: 0.33)
15-year fixed: 3.41% -- up from 3.40% last week (avg. points: 0.19)
5/1 ARM: 3.33% -- unchanged from last week (avg. points: 0.21)
Bankrate's national weekly mortgage survey is conducted each Wednesday from data provided by the top 10 banks and thrifts in the top 10 markets.
For a full analysis of this week's move in mortgage rates, go to www.bankrate.com
The survey is complemented by Bankrate's weekly Rate Trend Index, in which a panel of mortgage experts predicts which way the rates are headed over the next seven days. According to the panelists, don't expect any sharp pullback in mortgage rates. The majority – 80 percent – expect mortgage rates to remain more or less unchanged over the coming week, while the remaining 20 percent predict mortgage rates will rise. Interestingly, none of the respondents predicts a decrease in mortgage rates over the next seven days.