Mortgage rates climb for second straight week

Mortgage rates rose this week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday.

Freddie Mac’s latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, showed the average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage increased to 6.34% from last week’s reading of 6.3%.

The average rate on a 30-year loan was 6.12% a year ago.

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“The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage increased again this week but remains below its 52-week average of 6.71%,” said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. “The last few months have brought lower rates and as indicated by the recently reported increase in pending home sales, homebuyers are feeling more confident to get into the market.”

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The average rate on the 15-year fixed mortgage climbed to 5.55% from last week’s reading of 5.49%.

One year ago, the rate on the 15-year fixed note averaged 5.25%.

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Lower mortgage rates have pulled homebuyers back into the market. Data released this week from the National Association of Realtors showed pending home sales, based on signed contracts, increased 4% in August. Analysts polled by LSEG expected a 0.2% increase.

Mortgage rates, which track 10-year Treasury yields, are expected to stay in a tight range as markets weigh the implications of the government shutdown, Realtor.com senior economist Jiayi Xu said.

“The timing of this disruption is particularly sensitive, coming just after the Federal Reserve cut policy rates for the first time in nine months,” she said.

“The longer the shutdown drags on, the greater its potential influence on markets and monetary policy decisions will be,” Xu added.