Blog - Insignia Mortgage

Market Commentary – 4/24/15

Posted on April 24, 2015 by Conrad Juliá

U.S. bonds ended the week with a mild rally based on a weak Durable Orders report. U.S. Stock markets continue to remain at, or above, all-time highs on strong earnings from tech behemoths Google, Amazon and Microsoft. On the housing front, Thursday’s housing report saw U.S. single family sales in March record their biggest drop in more than 1½ years, snapping three months of gains.

The 10 year U.S. Treasury continues to trade under 2% percent. Mortgage rates for both ARM and fixed rate mortgage remain very attractive.

Market Commentary – 4/17/15

Posted on April 17, 2015 by Conrad Juliá

Thursday was a big day for economic news with reporting on Jobless claims (a bit higher than expected), Housing Starts (less than expected) and the Philly Fed (better than expected). In the end, all of this news did little to move bonds in the US. This morning the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for March rose by .2% inline with estimates, while the Core CPI rose a smidgen above expectations. US interest rates continue to hover near all-time lows with the 10 year treasury hovering around 1.90%.

At the moment, we are cautiously floating rates with a bias towards locking in.

Market Commentary – 4/10/15

Posted on April 9, 2015 by Conrad Juliá

US mortgage and treasury interest rates remain range bound with the 10 year yielding around 1.900%. However, the bond market remains volatile with the highly uncertain times for the global financial markets continuing to be front page news.

Big ticket economic reports this week include ISM Service Index, Producer Price Index, Consumer Price Index. Furthermore, the Federal released the beige books with the Fed members torn on whether or not to raise short interest rates in June. Short term interest rates remain pegged at near zero since December 2008 in an effort to promote economic growth.

Insignia Mortgage Principals Ranked #6 and #32 of all U.S. Mortgage Originators 2014

Posted on April 6, 2015 by Damon Germanides

As ranked by the Scotsman Guide, Insignia Mortgage principals Chris Furie and Damon Germanides are among the top of all mortgage originators in the U.S. for 2014. Chris is ranked #6 in the country with over $190 million in loans. Damon is ranked #32 with over $129 million.

Market Commentary – 4/1/15

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Conrad Juliá

Mortgage bond interest rates remain range bound this week with a small downward bias due to weaker than expected economic data from the Institute of Supply Management (ISM) index and ADP. The ISM reported that manufacturing activity in the US fell to its slowest pace since May 2013 Furthermore, the US stock market has not had a good week which has also helped to lower bond yields. The back half of the week is filled with many economic reports with all a focus on Initial jobless Claims, Non-farm Payroll and the Unemployment Report . Rate trend remains sideways.

Market Commentary – 9/20/14

Posted on September 20, 2014 by Damon Germanides

Investors were focused almost exclusively on the Fed meeting this week. Shifting expectations about future Fed policy guidance caused a good deal of volatility during the week. The Fed statement contained no major changes, however, and mortgage rates ended the week with little change.
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Market Commentary – 9/15/14

Posted on September 15, 2014 by Damon Germanides

Mortgage Rates: Trending Sideways

Inflation Drives Rates

Inflation concerns were the main influence on mortgage rates last week. A surprising jump in CPI caused mortgage rates to rise on Tuesday. The Fed downplayed the threat of high inflation last Wednesday, however, causing mortgage rates to decline. The net result was that mortgage rates finished the week a little lower.

The May Consumer Price Index (CPI), one of the most widely watched inflation indicators, was 2.1% higher than one year ago. Core CPI, which excludes food and energy, was 2.0% higher, up from an annual rate of 1.6% just two months ago. Core CPI has now reached the Fed’s stated target level for core inflation of 2.0%. Another inflation indicator released last week, the Prices Paid component of the Philly Fed report, also showed a sharp increase. Since expectations for future inflation are a primary factor in setting mortgage rates, this data was unfavorable for rates.Read More

Market Commentary – 9/13/14

Posted on September 14, 2014 by Damon Germanides

Increased concerns that the Fed will raise the fed funds rate more quickly than previously expected was the driving factor for mortgage rates this week. Stronger than expected economic data was another negative factor, and mortgage rates ended the week higher.