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Subject: Tricia Morris – Nine Terrifying Words
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| For the week of Feb 01, 2010 — Vol. 8, Issue 4 |
| Last Week in Review |
| “THE NINE MOST TERRIFYING WORDS IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARE: `I’M FROM THE GOVERNMENT, AND I’M HERE TO HELP.`” Ronald Reagan. And regardless of if those words do indeed terrify you or perhaps give you confidence, the government held center stage last week, with a pivotal Federal Reserve Board Policy Statement, President Obama’s first State of the Union address, and Ben Bernanke’s confirmation for another term as Fed Chairman. First, let’s start with the Federal Reserve Board, who on the heels of their most recent meeting reiterated their important line, “rates will remain low for an extended period” in their Policy Statement. This tells us that the “carry trade” which has pushed Stocks, Commodities and even Bonds higher may continue, as the driving force of this trade – low interest rates – will likely provide a tailwind. This piece of the Statement was good news for Bonds and home loan rates. However, this was offset by further confirmation that the Fed’s Mortgage Backed Security purchase program will indeed end March 31st, 2010. This was bad news for Bonds and home loan rates, and overrode the “extended period” statement in terms of Bond market and home loan rate action. Then on Wednesday evening, President Obama delivered his first official State of the Union address, and just like in his initial post-election speech, a big theme was job creation. He discussed a new jobs package, but no details on how much the package would cost or where the resources would be spent have been provided yet. With lots of money already spent with this goal in mind during 2009, and the jobs picture still worsening, hopes are high that future plans will be carefully crafted and targeted to achieve this important goal. And finally – Ben Bernanke ultimately received a hard-won Senate confirmation for his second four-year term as Chairman of the Federal Reserve, but it was a bit of a bruising confirmation fight. Bernanke has been under some criticism as he led the Fed in taking a series of extraordinary measures to protect the economy during the financial crisis, including the decision to help home loan rates stay low during 2009 and early 2010 via the aforementioned $1.25T Mortgage Backed Security purchase plan. In other economic report news – last week’s Advanced read on 4th Quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) showed a climb of 5.7%, and as you can see from the chart below, that was the best reading since the 3rd Quarter of 2003. ———————– Chart: Gross Domestic Product (By Quarter) And while it’s nice to see positive gains on this broad read on the economy, we need to take the report with a grain of salt. Last Friday’s report was only the first or the Advanced reading. So we still have two more reports – the Preliminary and the Final – due out regarding the 4th Quarter GDP. And in the past, we’ve seen some of the gains go away when the additional reports were released. In fact, just last quarter, the GDP reading dropped 2.2% from the Advanced reading to the Final report. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a similar revision lower this time, as when the economy slowed, businesses reduced their inventory rather than keeping their shelves full…and in the 4th Quarter, many businesses began to restock their shelves, with restocking accounting for 3.4 of the 5.7 percentage points in GDP growth. The problem is that sales haven’t increased along with the restocking. In fact, Consumer Spending actually declined when compared to the previous quarter. Th is means last week’s GDP report probably overstated the level of growth and, as a result, will likely be revised lower in the future. |
| Forecast for the Week |
| This will be a busy week for economic reports, starting off with the Personal Consumption Expenditures report on Monday. This report measures consumer price changes, and also gives us a look at inflation. We’ll also get a glimpse at Personal Income and Personal spending on Monday, as well as the Institute of Supply Managers Index, which is the king of all manufacturing indices, and is considered the single best snapshot of the factory sector. By mid-week, the labor market will lead the big news. In addition to the latest Initial Jobless Claims numbers, ADP’s Employment Report will also be delivered. These two data points will lead the way to Friday’s official Jobs Report from the Labor Department. This report includes the latest information on job losses and the unemployment rate, as well as the average work week and hourly earnings. With all the recent talk about the job market, it will be important to get a current read on the situation. Remember: Weak economic news normally causes money to flow out of Stocks and into Bonds, helping Bonds and home loan rates improve, while strong economic news normally has the opposite result. As you can see in the chart below, Mortgage Bonds traded in a tight technical range last week between a ceiling of resistance at the 100-Day Moving Average and a floor of support at the 200-Day Moving Average – and as always, I’ll be watching carefully to see which way Bonds and home loan rates are headed. Chart: Fannie Mae 4.5% Mortgage Bond (Friday Jan 29, 2010) |
| The Mortgage Market View… |
| Last-Minute Travel Tips Planning ahead is a good thing, and that’s definitely true when it comes to travelling. However, sometimes unforeseen circumstances – or a severe case of the winter blues – make planning far in advance almost impossible. If you ever need or decide to travel at the last minute, here are some tips to maximize savings. Be flexible – If possible, be flexible with both your travel dates and the carrier you choose. Rigidity in either of these areas can easily translate into paying increased costs. Know when to book – Most airlines file their Web specials on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. If possible, concentrate on flights departing from major hub airports and try to include a Saturday-night stay. Search diligently – There is no shortage of great websites for purchasing discounted airfares and hotel rooms. In terms of airfares, don’t forget to check the airlines’ own websites, as some carriers do not appear on many of the discount websites. Don’t forget about travel agents – Many travel agents will purchase bulk deals, giving them access to better prices. It’s definitely a good idea to make a few calls as part of your search. Websites to know about – To save time, pay a visit to Bookingbuddy.com. Enter your search for a flight, hotel, or car rental and compare the prices offered by various sites (Expedia, Travelocity, Orbitz, etc.) with the click of one button. Another great resource is Lastminute.com, which posts some great last-minute deals, as well as options for your not-so-last-minute traveling. When it comes to last-minute travel, the two most important things to remember are to be flexible and search hard. These tips apply whether you need – or want – to travel at the last minute! |
| The Week’s Economic Indicator Calendar |
| Remember, as a general rule, weaker than expected economic data is good for rates, while positive data causes rates to rise. Economic Calendar for the Week of February 01 – February 05
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| This newsletter was sent to you because you have indicated an interest in receiving communications from Premiere Mortgage, which we believe will help you in your business. If you wish to no longer receive these newsletters, please send your request to: tricia@mortgagemaui.com The material contained in this newsletter is provided by a third party to real estate, financial services and other professionals only for their use and the use of their clients. The material provided is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment and/or mortgage advice. Although the material is deemed to be accurate and reliable, we do not make any representations as to its accuracy or completeness and as a result, there is no guarantee it is not without errors. As your trusted advisor, I am sending you the MMG WEEKLY because I am committed to keeping you updated on the economic events that impact interest rates and how they may affect you. In the unlikely event that you no longer wish to receive these valuable market updates, please USE THIS LINK or email: tricia@mortgagemaui.com If you prefer to send your removal request by mail the address is: Tricia Morris 535 Lipoa Pkwy, Suite 101 Kihei, HI 96753 Mortgage Success Source, LLC is the copyright owner or licensee of the content and/or information in this email, unless otherwise indicated. Mortgage Success Source, LLC does not grant to you a license to any content, features or materials in this email. You may not distribute, download, or save a copy of any of the content or screens except as otherwise provided in our Terms and Conditions of Membership, for any purpose. |
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