Mortgage rates nudged slightly higher last week as more data and news pointed toward economic recovery.  The housing market continued to show signs of uneven improvement – but improvement nonetheless.  Housing Starts and Existing Home Sales moved higher, but the latter’s increase may be attributable to the soon-to-expire, first-time homebuyer tax credit and high levels [...]

Last week, money moved out of bond markets and into stock and commodity markets as economic data continued to paint a picture of economic recovery.  While the headline Retail Sales number dipped by 1.5%, much of the decline was attributed to the end of the government’s “Cash for Clunkers” program.  Excluding auto issues, retail sales [...]

Mortgage rates found some downward space last week as economic data again reminded us that we still have a very long way to go to return to a healthy economy.  The one bright spot last week was the GDP report.  The nation’s GDP was adjusted to a -0.7%.  Nearly every estimate now has growth technically [...]