Mortgage rates edged up slightly in April, with the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage settling at 6.73%, according to Freddie Mac. This marks an 8-basis-point (bps) increase from March. The 15-year fixed-rate mortgage increased by 7 bps to 5.90%.
According to analysis from the NAHB, the uptick in mortgage rates followed a sell-off in U.S. Treasury securities, driven by concerns surrounding the ongoing trade war. As demand for Treasuries declined, prices fell and yields rose. The 10-year Treasury yield averaged 4.28% in April, with the most recent weekly yield rising to 4.34%. The sell-off signals a potential loss of investor confidence in what is typically considered a safe-haven asset.
In response to rising yields, the president has pressured Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to cut interest rates. However, at the recent Economic Club of Chicago, Chairman Powell stated that “tariffs are highly likely to generate at least a temporary rise in inflation” and emphasized the Fed’s obligation to price stability, adding that it must ensure “a one-time increase in the price level does not become an ongoing inflation problem”.
