Cindy Schweikert Hart West Financial Inc. Home Mortgages in Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah

Serving Homeowners, Home Buyers, Home Sellers in Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah

  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Testimonials
    • Privacy Policy
    • Site Security
  • Hartwest.com
    • Daily Morgage Commentary
    • Request Estimate Of Closing Costs
  • Mortgage Info
    • First Time Home Buyer Tips
    • First Time Home Seller Tips
    • Home Appraisal
    • Home Inspection
    • Loan Checklist
    • Loan Process
    • Loan Programs
    • Mortgage FAQ
    • Mortgage Glossary
  • Apply Today – Click Here
  • Blog
  • Video Library
  • Contact

Hart West Financial January 7, 2013

What’s Ahead For Mortgage Rates This Week : January 7, 2013

Jobs data moves mortgage rates higherMortgage rates in Scottsdale rose during the first week of 2013.

The fiscal cliff crisis was resolved prior to the market’s opening Wednesday, when legislators voted to approve a deal. While many tax cuts were extended for taxpayers earning less than $450,000 annually, other facets of the fiscal cliff issue are yet to be addressed, including budget cuts for federal government agencies.

Investors were surprised to learn that the Fed may end its third round of quantitative easing (QE3) sometimes in 2013. The FOMC meeting minutes for December 2012 suggested that Fed support for its QE3 program has waned as the economy has improved.

First-time jobless claims increased for the week ending December 29, 2012 to 372,000 from the prior week’s 350,000, worse than Wall Street’s consensus opinion of 360,000 new jobless claims.

The December 2012 Non-Farm Payrolls surpassed analyst expectations, posting 155,000 net new jobs for the month. The report also showed the national Unemployment Rate rising one-tenth of one percentage point to 7.8%. When the jobless rate falls to 6.5%, the Federal Reserve is expected to begin raising the Fed Funds Rate from its current target range near zero percent.

Overall, mortgage rates rose by as much as 0.25 percentage points last week. However, because the increase occurred wholly between Wednesday and Friday, Freddie Mac’s weekly mortgage rate survey failed to include it.

Freddie Mac reported the previous week’s average rate for a 30-year fixed rate mortgage was 3.34 percent for borrowers paying 0.7 percent discount points plus closing costs. The average rate for a 15-year fixed rate mortgage was 2.64 percent for borrowers paying 0.7 discount points plus closing costs.

As this week opens, mortgage rates are considerably higher.

This week’s scheduled economic news includes Treasury auctions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; weekly Jobless Claims report on Thursday; and not much else. There will be planned speeches, however, from five members of the Federal Reserve, including Richmond Federal Reserve President Jeffrey Lacker.

Fed President Lacker was the lone dissenting vote among voting FOMC members in each of last year’s policy votes. 

Filed Under: Mortgage Rates Tagged With: Fiscal Cliff, FOMC, Non-Farm Payrolls

[easingsliderpro id="1"]

About Hart West Financial

Hart West Financial is a home mortgage firm licensed in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, and Washington. They take pride in offering top-quality service and providing very competitive pricing due to their non-commission loan officer based business model. Call Hart West Financial today at 800-910-1937 to get your home loan approved today!

Connect with Us on:
Manta
Click Here For License List

Get A Free Rate Quote!

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.



Quick Links

  • NMLS Consumer Access
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Video Library
  • Mortgage Licenses
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Hart West Financial, Inc.
9805 E Bell Rd. Ste 120
Scottsdale Road, AZ 85260
NMLS #116830
AZ MB 0901832; CO 100008133; NM 01938; OR ML-2751; UT 5491769NMLC; WA MB-116830
Cindy Schweikert Loan Originator NMLS #116611
EQ Logo

Our Location


9805 E Bell Rd. #120
Scottsdale, AZ 85260

Return to top of page

Copyright © 2023 Cindy Schweikert Hart West Financial Inc. Home Mortgages in Arizona, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. All rights reserved.   Log In