Pending Home Sales Jump:
Contracts for pending sales of previously owned U.S. homes rose much faster than expected in November.  This follows last week’s surprise gain in existing home sales.  A pending home sale is when a contract has been signed between a buyer and a seller but the home has not yet closed.
The National Association of Realtors reported a rise of 3.5% in November, economists had expected an increase of only 2%.  Once again, we are seeing a little stronger than expected demand which has been following a very clear pattern of strength over the past four months.

What Happened to Rates Last Week:
Mortgage backed securities (MBS) gained +86 basis points from Monday’s open to Friday’s close causing 30 year fixed rates to decrease from the previous week.  We had several very strong economic reports such as Initial Jobless claims and Chicago PMI.  Normally, the strength in these economic reports would have pressured mortgage rates higher. But traders parked their funds into the safe and boring world of mortgage backed securities before the end of the year which helped mortgage rates temporarily.
What to Watch Out For This Week:
The following are the major economic reports that will hit the market this week.  They each have the ability to affect the pricing of Mortgage Backed Securities and therefore, interest rates for Government and Conventional mortgages.  I will be watching these reports closely for you and let you know if there are any big surprises:

Date ET Release For
3-Jan 10:00 Construction Spending Nov
3-Jan 10:00 ISM Index Dec
4-Jan 10:00 Factory Orders Nov
4-Jan 14:00 FOMC Minutes
4-Jan 15:00 Auto Sales Jan
4-Jan 15:00 Truck Sales Jan
5-Jan 7:00 MBA Mortgage Purchase Index 31-Dec
5-Jan 7:30 Challenger Job Cuts Dec
5-Jan 8:15 ADP Employment Change Dec
5-Jan 10:00 ISM Services Dec
5-Jan 10:30 Crude Inventories 1-Jan
6-Jan 8:30 Initial Claims 1-Jan
6-Jan 8:30 Continuing Claims 25-Dec
7-Jan 8:30 Nonfarm Payrolls Dec
7-Jan 8:30 Nonfarm Private Payrolls Dec
7-Jan 8:30 Unemployment Rate Dec
7-Jan 8:30 Hourly Earnings Dec
7-Jan 8:30 Average Workweek Dec
7-Jan 15:00 Consumer Credit Nov

It is virtually impossible for you to keep track of what is going on with the economy and other events that can impact the housing and mortgage markets.  Just leave it to me, I monitor the live trading of Mortgage Backed Securities which are the only thing government and conventional mortgage rates are based upon.
Matthew Schaffer
Sr. Loan Officer
Office: 561-799-9954
Cell: 561-312-1094
matt@schaffermtg.net
3307 Northlake Blvd #103
Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33403
www.mtgbiz.biz