And in the spirit of being thankful, I am thankful the boy did not want to drive to Hattiesburg for the regional this weekend.
The Hoos got blown out last night by Jacksonville State and now have a long road ahead if they want to get out of their bracket. I really had not paid much attention to NCAA baseball until the last couple of years, but it is very much like March Madness. There are teams and schools you have never heard of that are legitimately good and loaded with talent.
The left-handed starter for Jacksonville State last night was sitting mid-90s with his fastball and carved the Hoos up early. Keep in mind, UVA probably has four or five position players who will be drafted very high in a couple of months.
Market Notes
It was a pretty solid week for mortgage rates.
Some news outlets reported that rates were at their highest levels since mid-August. That data comes from Freddie Mac’s national average, which is really just a snapshot in time and is often about a week old.
As we have discussed in this forum for a while now, mortgages trade like stocks and bonds. Rates can and do change daily.
The volatility dial has been turned up significantly since the beginning of the conflict involving Iran, and that likely will not ease until the situation is resolved.
From the beginning of last week, we saw buyers step into the market as news surrounding possible resolution improved sentiment. That momentum continued throughout the week and resulted in rates improving roughly a quarter percent compared to last week for most programs.
Looking Ahead*
This week, the market will continue taking its cues from headlines out of the Middle East.
Friday brings the release of May employment data, which the market will watch very closely for clues about the overall health of the economy. Strong economic news, including continued low unemployment and solid job growth, would likely prevent mortgage rates from moving meaningfully lower.
Enjoy a beautiful week. Please feel free to reach out with any mortgage related questions, needs, or quick preapprovals.
-Steve-
*All loans are subject to credit approval and program guidelines.