Mortgage & Economy

Takeaway: Mortgage rates will largely stay the same for now as the Fed opts against hiking and says little about future plans. There was a historically high level of uncertainty going into this meeting, but ultimately, the Fed decided against hiking today because financial markets did their work for them. The actions coming out of…

Today’s housing market rewards patience over panic: With hundreds of thousands more sellers than buyers in the U.S., buyers in most of the country have time to peruse options and negotiate.  U.S. pending home sales fell to their lowest level since early April during the four weeks ending July 26, dropping 1.7% in the last…

The Freddie Mac 30-year mortgage rate rose 8 basis points to 6.66% this week as the U.S.-Iran conflict escalates again and investors reassess the odds of a Fed rate hike.

In short: A divided Federal Reserve held rates steady, but three policymakers pushed for a hike. With mortgage rates expected to fall only to 6.4% by year-end, the affordability tailwind buyers felt in the first half of 2026 may soon become a headwind. What’s next for rates? The Committee held the federal funds rate at…