Matthew Graham

1 week ago | mortgagenewsdaily.com | Matthew Graham

Fed Threads Needle of Apathy Today marked one of only 4 days of the year with an updated Fed dot plot. When it came out, there was a fairly pitiful volume response relative to other dot plot days and an even more underwhelming level of volatility in the bond market. It wasn't until almost 45 minutes later that bonds showed actual signs of life in response to Fed Chair Powell saying flat-out that they'll be able to make a better decision if they wait a couple of months.

1 week ago | mortgagenewsdaily.com | Matthew Graham

It happens, but it's rare. A Fed "dot plot" day has come and gone with mortgage rates almost perfectly unchanged from the previous day. This speaks to the level of indecision not only in the market, but also among Fed members. First off, what's a "dot plot day?"  The dot plot (or simply, "the dots") refers to a chart/table in the Fed's economic projections that shows where each Fed member sees the Fed Funds Rate at the end of the next few years.

1 week ago | mortgagenewsdaily.com | Matthew Graham

Fed day is here and there's a 0% chance of a rate cut. That's been the case for just over a month due a combination of April's jobs report and the stock market recovery in May (or the underlying events that helped facilitate it). In order to cut, the Fed would need to see the sort of deterioration in the labor market it saw in 2024 as well as the sort of progress it saw on inflation.

1 week ago | mortgagenewsdaily.com | Matthew Graham

Dot Plot in Focus With Fed's "No Cut" Announcement Bonds lost some ground after this morning's economic data, arguably in response to the Retail Sales control group beating its forecast. Higher-than-expected import prices could also have played a supporting role, but the selling was too modest to worry about perfectly allocating the blame. It was also erased by an afternoon rally that was best explained by general risk-off vibes surrounding geopolitical headlines.

1 week ago | mortgagenewsdaily.com | Matthew Graham

Mortgage rates continue operating in a narrow range with almost every day of the past two months falling between 6.8 and 7.0% for a top tier 30yr fixed scenario. Today's average rate fell 0.03 after moving up 0.06 since June 12th. This morning's most relevant potential influence--the Retail Sales report--turned out to have a limited impact this morning. To be fair, when rates are as stable as they have been, there's no need to overanalyze their underlying motivations.