Thursday's bond market has opened in positive territory despite slightly stronger than expected economic news. The stock markets have fluctuated between positive and negative ground during early trading, but are fairly flat at this point with the Dow down 28 points and the Nasdaq nearly unchanged. The bond market is currently up 20/32, however, we will still see an increase in this morning's mortgage rates as a result of weakness late yesterday. After peaking during afternoon trading, bonds closed well off their earlier highs. This led some lenders to revise rates higher yesterday, but many waited to reflect those changes in this morning's pricing.

The Labor Department reported that 554,000 new claims for benefits were filed last week. This was a decline from the previous week's 575,000 initial claims, but was pretty close to forecasts. Therefore, the news has had a minimal impact on bond trading and mortgage rates.

The Conference Board gave us their Leading Economic Indicators (LEI) for the month of November late this morning. They reported a decline of 0.4% that was slightly stronger than the 0.5% drop that was expected. This means that economic activity may slow over the next three to six months, but at a slightly slower pace than many had thought.

There is no relevant economic news scheduled for release tomorrow, so look for the stock markets to drive bond trading and mortgage rates. I am still concerned about further increases in mortgage rates from their recent lows, so please proceed cautiously if still floating a rate.

Friday's bond market has opened in positive territory, but not enough to affect this morning's mortgage rates. The stock markets relatively calm with the Dow up 28 points and the Nasdaq down 3 points. The bond market is currently up 6/32, but I am not expecting to see much of a change in this morning's mortgage rates compared to Wednesday's rates.

There is no relevant economic news scheduled for release today. The bond market is expected to close at 2:00 PM ET again, therefore, I think we will see a relatively calm day in bonds and mortgage rates. Unless the stock markets make a drastic move from current levels, mortgage rates should close at this morning's levels.

The bond market will reopen Monday morning for regular trading hours, but it is also a holiday-shortened week. We can expect a similar trading schedule as this week's, with only two full trading days. We may see some volatility early in the week as investors make some year-end trans actions to finalize their end-of-year portfolios. I suspect that without some favorable data or influences, bonds may move lower the first part of the week. This could lead to higher mortgage rates the first couple of days.

There are only two relevant reports scheduled for release next week but both are considered to be of fairly high importance. Neither of them will be posted Monday, but December's Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) will be released Tuesday and the Institute for Supply Management (ISM) will post their manufacturing index Friday morning. Both of these can influence the markets enough to change mortgage rates.

Friday's bond market has opened in negative territory following early stock gains and a lack of economic data to drive trading. The stock markets are reacting favorably to news of an approval to use bailout funds U.S. automakers. However, the rally has lost some steam as the major indexes are well off earlier highs. The Dow is currently up 95 points but was up 180 points earlier while the Nasdaq has gains 25 points.

The bond market is currently down 14/32, which will likely push this morning's mortgage rates higher by approximately .250 of a discount point over yesterday's morning rates. I still think there is not much chance of rates improving considerably lower than current levels, at least not in the immediate future. Accordingly, we should proceed cautiously if still floating an interest rate and closing in the immediate future.

There is no relevant economic news scheduled for release today. I am expecting the bond market and mortgage rates to remain near current levels, as long as the stock markets don't rally past earlier highs or give up much more of their current gains. As long as stocks remain fairly calm this afternoon, I believe mortgage pricing will also.

Tuesday's bond market has opened relatively flat despite weaker than expected economic news. The stock markets are showing sizable gains with the Dow up 115 points and the Nasdaq up 39 points. The bond market is currently up 3/32, but we will still see an increase in this morning's mortgage pricing of approximately .250 of a discount point.

The Labor Department gave us today's big news with the release of November's Consumer Price Index (CPI). They reported that the overall index reading fell 1.7% last month. This was a larger drop than was expected and the largest monthly decline since February 1947, indicating that prices for energy are still falling rapidly. The core data reading, that excludes volatile food and energy prices, was unchanged last month. Analysts were expecting to see a slight increase in the core reading. This means that prices at the consumer level of the economy were lower than expected, which is good news for bonds and mortgage rate s because falling prices means inflation is not really a threat.

November's Housing Starts was also posted this morning and also showed a record low. It revealed a decline in starts of new homes of nearly 19% and a drop of 15% in permits for new construction starts. This means that the housing sector is still weakening and appears to be well off a "bottom" that people are trying to predict.

We also have today's FOMC meeting to be concerned with. It will adjourn at 2:15 PM ET today and will likely affect afternoon trading and mortgage rates. The general consensus is that another rate cut is coming. Some think that the Fed will reduce key short-term interest rates by another .750 of a discount point, but most think the Fed will make a half-point move and wait until early next year before making another change. The post meeting statement also may a significant influence on the markets and mortgage rates as investors look for any indication of what and w hen the Fed may do next.

Monday's bond market has opened in positive territory following early stock losses and slightly weaker than expected economic data. The Dow and Nasdaq are kicking the week off in negative ground with losses of 70 points and 30 points respectively. The bond market is currently up 8/32, which should improve this morning's mortgage rates by approximately .250 of a discount point.

This week is moderately busy in terms of the number of economic releases scheduled for release with four on the agenda, but the biggest news will likely be the last Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting of the year tomorrow. Only one of the four economic reports is considered to be of high importance, so the data may not be the biggest influence eon the markets and mortgage rates this week.

November's Industrial Production data was posted mid-morning today, revealing a 0.6% decline in output at U.S. factories, mines and utilities. This was a slightly larger decline than the 0.5% that was expected, indicating that manufacturing activity was a little softer than thought. That is good news for bonds and mortgage rates.

Tomorrow morning brings us the release of November's Consumer Price Index (CPI). It is similar to last week's Producer Price Index, except it tracks inflationary pressures at the consumer level of the economy. It is also one of the most important monthly reports we see. Current forecasts call for a decline of 1.3% in the overall index and a 0.1% rise in the core data reading. The core data is watched more closely because it excludes more volatile food and energy prices, giving a more stabile reading for analysts to consider.

November's Housing Starts report will also be released tomorrow morning, but I don't see it causing much movement in mortgage rates. This report, which is expected to show a decline in starts of new homes, gives us an indication of housing sector strength and future mortgage cred it demand. But, it can be considered the least important of this week's news.

The last FOMC meeting of the year is tomorrow and will adjourn at 2:15 PM ET. There is much debate about what the Fed will do at this meeting, but the general consensus is that another rate cut is coming. Some think that the Fed will reduce key short-term interest rates by another .750 of a discount point, but most think the Fed will make a half-point move and wait until early next year before making another change. The post meeting statement also may a significant influence on the markets and mortgage rates as investors look for any indication of what and when the Fed may do next.

Friday's bond market has opened in positive following the release of mixed economic data and early stock market losses. The stock markets are well into negative ground with the Dow currently down 130 points and the Nasdaq down 5 points. The bond market is currently up 12/32, but we will still see an increase in this morning's rates of approximately .250 of a discount points due to weakness late yesterday.

This morning brought us the release of three relevant economic reports, two of which are considered to be highly important to the markets. The first was November's Retail Sales report that showed a 1.8% decline in retail level sales last month. This was a little stronger than the 2.0% drop that was expected, but is not enough of a difference to significantly affect mortgage rates.

The second piece of data was November's Producer Price Index (PPI) that also was close to forecasts but slightly favorable to bonds. This index measures inflationar y pressures at the producer level of the economy and showed a larger than expected drop of 2.2%. However, the core data reading that excludes prices for more volatile food and energy items matched forecasts of a 0.1% increase. Therefore, the data was pretty much a non-factor in today's pricing.

The last report of the day was the preliminary reading to the University of Michigan's Index of Consumer Sentiment. This index measures consumer willingness to spend and is considered moderately important. It showed a much higher level of sentiment than was expected with a reading of 59.1. Analysts were expecting it to come in at 55.0. But, since the stock markets are showing losses and today's key data didn't reveal any significant surprises, this index also has not heavily influenced today's trading or mortgage rates.

Next week is moderately busy with economic reports. There are a couple of relevant reports scheduled for release including the Consumer Pric e Index (CPI). However, the big news of the week may be the last FOMC meeting of the year on Tuesday. But look for details on next week's events in Sunday's weekly preview.

Tuesday's bond market has opened in negative territory following a rebound in stock prices. The stock markets are bouncing off yesterday's beating with the Dow up 250 points and the Nasdaq up 47 points. The bond market is currently down 8/32, which will likely push this morning's mortgage rates higher by approximately .125 of a discount point.

There is no relevant economic news scheduled for release today. It is the only day of the week that we will not get some type of relevant data. The next report that we need to be concerned with comes tomorrow morning with the release of the revised 3rd Quarter Productivity report. This index is expected to show a downward revision from the preliminary reading of worker productivity. Higher levels of productivity are thought to allow the economy to expand without inflationary pressures rising. This is good news for the bond market because economic growth itself isn't necessarily bad for the bond market. It is the cond itions around economic growth, such as inflation that hurt bond prices and mortgage rates. Current forecasts are calling for an annual rate of 0.9%, down from the previous estimate of 1.1%.

The Fed Beige Book will be posted tomorrow afternoon. This report, which is named after the color of its cover, details economic conditions by region. It is relied on heavily during the FOMC meetings when determining monetary policy, so it results can influence bond trading and mortgage rates if it shows any significant surprises.

The recent bond rally has driven bond prices higher and mortgage rates lower, however, I am concerned that we may see an increase in rates before they fall much further. The rally creates a situation where bond traders may sell holdings to capture profits from it. If there is a concern in the market whether bonds can improve much more, that move may happen sooner than later and can lead to a spike in mortgage rates. Therefore, I strong ly recommend that you maintain contact with your mortgage professional if still floating an interest rate because rate usually move higher much quicker than they improve.