Demand was very good as 50% of the issue was taken by Indirect Bidders. Bid to cover ratios came in at 3.06 to 1. Both of those measures were above average. The issue was also “bid through the screen”, meaning that some got shut out even if they had at the money bids in. That is a sign of strong demand.
With the elections and the Fed meeting next week to hopefully clarify QE2, things could get wild. We also have the Employment report for October a week from tomorrow. Austin mortgage borrowers are advised to take advantage of any rate improvement we see as the skies have yet to clear.
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Sellers are in control of the market with additional downside (higher yield/worsening Austin mortgage pricing ) a high probability.
Overall, we do not see that the fundamental economic picture has changes much at all. Technically, we are in an intermediate term bear market correction. One that could push the market to yields on the 10 year of 2.75%/2.78% (currently 2.70%). If correct, we should see good support from the 62% Fibonacci level (comes in around 2.75%).
Last week saw September Housing Starts UP 0.3% to an annual rate of 610,000 units, well ahead of the expected 580,000 unit pace. Even better, starts are UP 4.1% over a year ago. Interestingly, the September gain was totally driven by a healthy 4.4% rise in single family starts, while multi-family starts dropped 9.7%. But multi-family starts are volatile month to month, and are actually up 100.0% compared to a year ago, while single family starts are off 10.8% during the same time frame.
About QE2 - interesting how much it will cost the tax payers to keep the doors open at Fannie/Freddie. I’ll try to make some sense of it all this afternoon.
Uncertainty about an expected new Fed stimulus program created a lot of movement in Austin mortgage rates during the week. Fed officials offered few details about the program, though. In the end, despite the volatility, the result was just a small decline in Austin mortgage rates for the week.
Austin mortgage borrowers are advised to be defensive. Stocks will be the key. If they slip, we’ll do better. Overall, QE2 will keep a floor under the market. Just the same, we’ll need to deal with the volatility.
According to a Bloomberg news story, PIMCO (bond fund), Blackrock (hedge fund), and the New York Federal Reserve are seeking ways to force B of A to buy back mortgage backed securities to the tune of 47 billion. Reason given; due to credit quality and the failure by Countrywide to properly service loans, they have lost value – “soured.” What else is new.
