Economic & Housing Research
Weekly Commentary
May 17, 2012
The European debt crisis overshadowed improving economic indicators for the U.S. and allowed Treasury bond yields and fixed mortgage rates to ease for another week. For instance, industrial production rose 1.1 percent in April – the largest gain since December 2010 – and consumer sentiment in May rose to its highest reading since January 2008, according to the University of Michigan.
There was also good news in the home construction industry. Housing starts rose to an annualized rate of 717,000 homes in April, well above the market consensus forecast, and construction on one-family homes increased to its strongest pace in three months. Moreover, homebuilder confidence in May reached its highest reading since January 2008, according to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index. >> Next Commentary: May 24
- Weekly Commentary – May 10, 2012
- Weekly Commentary – May 3, 2012
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Refinancing Activity Reports
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- Q1 2012 "Cash-Out" Release – May
8, 2012
(Release of Q2 2012 Data: TBD) - Q1 2012 Product Transition Release -
May 14, 2012
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Freddie Mac collects the Refinance and ARM share of applications, as reported by lenders who participate in the Weekly Mortgage Market Survey.
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Primary Mortgage Market Survey ®
| 30-yr | 15-yr | |
|---|---|---|
| Avg. Rate | 3.79 % | 3.04 % |
| Fees/Pts | 0.7 | 0.7 |
Next rate update: May 24, 2012
Other Resources
Monthly Refi & ARM Shares
| Refi | ARM | |
|---|---|---|
| Apr '12 | 76% | 6% |
| Mar '12 | 76% | 6% |
| Apr '11 | 65% | 6% |
Next Share Update: June 20, 2012
Federal COF Index
| COFI | |
|---|---|
| April '12 | 1.105 |
| March '12 | 1.122 |
| April '11 | 1.301 |
Next COFI Update: June 20, 2012