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If Fed gets timid about hiking interest rates, it could create ‘tantrum’ in bond market

  • March 15, 2017
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  • realestatelife

That’s the term given to investors who protest inflationary policies by selling bonds. This, in turn, pushes yields higher, and could create serious headwinds.

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Fed Hikes Key Benchmark Rate 0.25%, As Expected

  • March 15, 2017
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  • realestatelife

The Federal Reserve has raised its benchmark interest rate 0.25%, and reaffirmed its forecast for three rate rises this year. The central bank cited continued expansion in the labor market, “solid” job gains, rising household spending and firming business fixed investment in its decision.

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Inflation may provide more clues about future rate hikes than the Fed

  • March 14, 2017
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  • realestatelife

It may not be the Fed that signals a more aggressive rate hiking scenario Wednesday — it could be the inflation data. The Fed is expected to hike interest rates by a quarter point Wednesday afternoon, and it is likely to sound more upbeat about the economy. Its dual mandate — inflation and employment —

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February Producer Price Index

  • March 14, 2017
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  • realestatelife

February headline Producer Price Index 0.3% vs.estimates of 0.1%. Core PPI 0.3% vs. estimates of 0.2%. YOY PPI 2.2% vs. estimates of 2.0%. Core YOY PPI 1.5% vs. estimates of 1.5%. Inflation on the front end is now at 2.2% and is generally negative for interest rate pricing.

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Weather does not stop the Fed

  • March 14, 2017
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  • realestatelife

The Fed confirmed that its interest-rate policy committee will meet as planned on Tuesday and Wednesday despite the winter storm that has hobbled much of the Nottheast. The Fed is widely expected to raise the range of its benchmark federal funds rate by a quarter-point at the end of its discussions. The central bank will

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Oil prices tumble after OPEC report shows Saudi production rising

  • March 14, 2017
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  • realestatelife

Crude futures reversed direction and turned lower on Tuesday, after a monthly report from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries showed production out of Saudi Arabia cresting back above 10 million barrels of oil per day.

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Why Mortgage Rates Will Keep Rising — Regardless of What the Fed Does This Week

  • March 14, 2017
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  • realestatelife

The bond market believes the economy is gaining momentum. Long before Federal Reserve policymakers begin gathering in Washington today to debate what to do with interest rates, mortgage rates throughout the country have been heating up. Borrowing rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages have climbed to 4.21%. That’s up from 4.09% in January and 3.54% in

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Treasury yields steady as investors await jobs report

  • March 10, 2017
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  • realestatelife

Treasury yields moved moderately lower Friday as investors awaited the jobs report from President Donald Trump’s first full month in office. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note edged lower to 2.604%, while the yield on the 30-year bond was flat at 3.189%. The yield on the two-year note was off slightly at 1.376%. Treasury

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People’s Bank of China’s Zhou signals policy shift with tighter credit controls

  • March 10, 2017
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  • realestatelife

China’s central bank head, Gov. Zhou Xiaochuan, on Friday indicated there’s a slight shift there away from the largely expansionary monetary policy that’s been in place for the last few years. With the economy healthier, the bank is moving to support government efforts to cut off overly generous credit and lower financial risks, he said

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U.S. added 235,000 jobs in February, likely giving the Fed the go-ahead for rate hike next week

  • March 10, 2017
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  • realestatelife

The U.S. economy added 235,000 net new jobs in February, beating expectations for 190,000 jobs. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.7% from 4.8%, while the labor force participation rate edged up slightly to 63% from 62.9% in January. Economists had forecast 190,000 job gains, according to the median estimate of a Bloomberg survey. Many

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