The Weekly Kevin Martini – information on where Raleigh Mortgage Rates

Raleigh mortgage rates were impacted last week by the ton of housing-related data that hit the street….both Housing Starts & Building Permits came in meeting expectations. Existing Home Sales was nearly inline with expectations.

Folks, the reports from last week may put Quantitative Easing or QE3 on the radar at the FED. The Raleigh – Cary housing market is heating up however the housing market on the aggregate remains fragile…the coming days & weeks I think will reveal if my thesis is correct or not. Raleigh mortgage rates have been moving upward & QE3 could stop this upwards movement. How? Here is the Kevin Martini break down…Raleigh mortgage rates are tied to bonds…if QE3 is a reality, then the FED will be buying bonds which will cause bonds to improve & as bonds improve so do Raleigh mortgage rates.

It is important to note that while Stocks saw some declines last week, Bonds were unable to build any positive momentum. This is eye-opening & does not look well for further price appreciation in Bonds. Whether the potential for QE3 helps Bonds and Raleigh mortgage rates in the future remains to be seen.

The bottom line is that Raleigh mortgage rates still remain near historic lows & now continues to be a great time to purchase or refinance a home. I invite you to call ,if I can answer any questions at all for you.

After last week’s housing data economic release calendar, this week’s calendar heats up with a ton of data.

• Pending Home Sales will be delivered on Monday and comes after last week’s so-so reports on the housing sector.

• Consumer Confidence and Consumer Sentiment will be released on Tuesday and Friday, respectively. The data will be closely watched to gauge how the consumer is holding up as economic news has been on the positive side.

• Wednesday brings the Durable Goods Report, which measures “big ticket” items that last for an extended time.

• Initial Weekly Jobless Claims will be released on Thursday. Jobless claims fell to the lowest level since February of 2008 last week as the sector continues to breathe life into the economy.

• Also on Thursday, the final read for Gross Domestic Product for the 4th quarter of 2011 will be released. In order for the U.S. economy to strengthen, we will have to see sustained growth in the form of the GDP.

• Friday brings a bunch of reports, including Personal Income and Spending, as well as the Chicago Manufacturing Report.

• We’ll also see the Core Personal Consumption Expenditures on Friday. This report provides insight into where inflation is at, so the data will be key to the Bond markets. As we know, higher inflation pushes Bond prices lower due to purchasing power loss that is associated with rising consumer prices. And, lower Bond prices can be bad news for Raleigh mortgage rates.

Remember: Weak economic news normally causes money to flow out of Stocks and into Bonds, helping Bonds and Raleigh mortgage rates improve, while strong economic news normally has the opposite result.

Raleigh Mortgage Rates On The Move…

Raleigh Mortgage Rates On The Move…

What a week for Raleigh mortgage rates!

The Fed did not have their sunglasses on when speaking about the economy last week when they released the Policy Statement at the Federal Open Market Committee. Their statement however said we all would need sunglasses…because they admitted things were improving in most areas. Yes, improvement in our economy is a good thing, however should this trend continue Raleigh mortgage rates could edge higher.

“Why Kevin Martini Why”? The answer is simple….stocks benefit in strong economic times at the expense of bonds…know that Raleigh mortgage rates come from the mortgage bonds.

The Fed did acknowledge that inflation could increase in the near-term due to higher energy prices – and higher inflation is never good news for bonds as inflation hurts the return of a fixed investment. Last week provided first hand confirmation of this.

We saw last week, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose a bit in February. If hints of inflation pick up in the weeks or months ahead, this could hurt bonds and Raleigh mortgage rates.

Here is the Kevin Martini take…even though bonds and Raleigh mortgage rates worsened last week, rates still remain near historic lows & now continues to be a great time to purchase or refinance a home.

The economic release calendar is light this week & housing data will dominate the headlines.

Housing Starts will be delivered on Tuesday along with Building Permits.
On Wednesday, Existing Home Sales will be delivered, followed by New Home Sales on Friday.

Initial Weekly Jobless Claims will be released on Thursday. Jobless claims continue to hover near the 350,000 level as the labor sector rebounds.

Remember: Weak economic news normally causes money to flow out of stocks and into bonds, helping bonds and Raleigh mortgage rates improve, while strong economic news normally has the opposite result.

No luck this week for Raleigh Mortgage Rates

No luck this week for Raleigh Mortgage Rates

Raleigh mortgage rates rose nearly 0.375% this week…was this in anticipation of the leprechaun? I think not!

I think the move was clearly based on the fact that Wall Street just realized that the Fed will most likely never put QE3 into play. Folks, it is my opinion, we are saying “good-bye” to Raleigh mortgage rates that start with a 3 & “hello Raleigh mortgage rates that are higher.”

Here is the Kevin Martini quote of the day: ”If you are looking for the lowest cost of borrowing of your lifetime – THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW” – Yes, there is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow & here are 2 reason below:

1) Raleigh mortgage rates are still at very attractive levels

2) Today is St. Patricks Day & in the video below you can participate & could “WIN” — if you have the right answer

Are Raleigh Mortgage Rates on the Move – The Weekly Kevin Martini – predications, expectation & guidance on Raleigh Mortgage Rates

Are Raleigh Mortgage Rates on the Move – The Weekly Kevin Martini – predications, expectation & guidance on Raleigh Mortgage Rates

What the heck happened to Raleigh Mortgage Rates – WAIT…I KNOW –Ben Bernanke spoke & there was dancing in the streets afterwards.

Last week, Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke provided testimony in front of the House Financial Services Committee…there was no breaking news on his assessment of the economy, labor market & housing market. That being said, the biggest Kevin Martini takeaway was that he made no mention of another round of Bond buying or Quantitative Easing (QE3).

A ton were disappointed to learn there was not mention of QE3…virtually all the markets as both Bonds and Stocks closed lower the day Bernanke spoke. So here’s an important question to ask: Is the economy strong enough to keep the Fed from pumping any more money (QE3) into the economy? While the economy has improved on many fronts, it is still fragile & it would not take much for growth to slow…meaning more Fed intervention would be needed. For instance, high oil prices, a worsening situation in Europe or China and escalating concerns in Iran could all cause our economy to slow.

One thing is for sure – the incoming economic data over the next couple weeks and months will be very important to follow for signs of continued economic improvement or potential slowing. One important factor to note from last week: inflation, as measured by the Core Personal Consumption Expenditure (PCE), rose by 0.2% in January, while the year-over-year Core PCE climbed to 1.9% and just beneath the Fed’s upper target of 2%. Seeing inflation rise, even though the Fed continues to say it is moderating, is a concern. With Core PCE just beneath the Fed’s desired target, upcoming readings will play an important role in how long the Fed continues its accommodative policy and any chance of more easing, QE3.

The most important thing to take away is that Raleigh Mortgage Rates still remain near historic lows & now continues to be a great time to purchase or refinance a home.

Several important economic reports will be released this week & on Friday all eyes will be on the Jobs Report for February.

• The ISM Services Index will be released on Monday. Did you know that the service sector makes up about 70% of the U.S. job market!
• The ADP Employment Report will be delivered on Wednesday.
• Another important report this week will be the Productivity Report on Wednesday. This report measures the number of hours it takes to produce a good in a factory.
• Initial Jobless Claims will be released on Thursday. The number of Americans claiming first-time benefits has dropped in the past few months.
• Last but not least is the Mac Daddy of reports on Friday. Literally the world will be closely watching the monthly official Jobs Report. January’s report showed that 243,000 new jobs were created. This report could impact Raleigh Mortgage Rates.

Remember: Weak economic news normally causes money to flow out of Stocks and into Bonds, helping Bonds and Raleigh Mortgage Rates improve, while strong economic news normally has the opposite result.

“I’d Buy Up ‘A Couple Hundred Thousand’ Single-Family Homes If I Could”

“I’d Buy Up ‘A Couple Hundred Thousand’ Single-Family Homes If I Could”

That is what Warrne Buffett said this week on CNBC…
he also shared that single family homes are very attractive…
he shared that houses are better than stocks
& he shared a ton more — watch & share with your friends!

Raleigh Mortgage Rates still remain near historic lows, and now continues to be a great time to purchase or refinance a home.