The 30-year average mortgage rate dropped again on Thursday to 6.49%, the lowest rate we've seen since the beginning of February. This decline follows Wednesday's drop in the flagship rate, which recorded a five-month low of 6.61%. Another drop on Tuesday set a four-month low. Those record lows turned out to be blips on the slide, as yesterday's average set a new six-month low. Averages for most other mortgage rates also fell Thursday.

Because rates vary widely across lenders, it's always smart to shop around for 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:your best mortgage option and compare rates regula♚rly, no matter the type of home loan you seek.

Today's New Purchase Mortgage Rate Averages

The 30-year mortgage rate average dropped again for a fifth consecutive day, sliding 12 more basis points to 6.49%—equaling the level last seen on Feb. 1. The current average for the flagship rate has fallen 59 basis points since registe💫ring 7.08% on July 1.

Although today's rate on 30-year mortgages is 13 basis points higher than the Feb. 1 reading of 6.36%, it remains well below the historic 23-year high of 8.01% in October.

Rates on 15-year mortgages fell an additional 15 basis points on Thursday, dropping to 5.58%. The 15-year average is also at its lowest point since Feb. 1, and far below last fall's 7.08% peak—the highest reading since 2000.

The 10-year fixed rate reversed course and dropped a fifth of a percent on Thursday, more than erasing the gain it made the day before, 𓆏to lꦚand at 5.58%. The last time the 10-year rate was lower was when it hit 5.42% on Feb. 1.

Jumbo 30-year rates fell another 8 basis points, lowering the average to 6.79%. That's a low since March and well under the May high of 7.30%. Although daily historical jumbo rates were not published before 2009, it's estimated the 8.14% peak reached last fall was the most expensive jumbo 30-year average in 20-plus years.

The Weekly Freddie Mac Average

Every Thursday, Freddie Mac, a government-sponsored enterprise that purchases mortgage loans, publishes a weekly average of 30-year mortgage rates. This week's reading slid 5 basis points to 6.73%. Freddie Mac's average reached a historic 23-year peak of 7.79% in October. It later dropped significantly, registering a low point of 6.60% in mid-January.

Freddie Mac’s average differs from what we report for 30-year rates because Freddie Mac calculates a weekly average that blends five previous days of rates. In contrast, our Investopedia 30-year average is a daily reading, offering a more precise and timely indicator of rate movement. In addition, the criteria for included loans (e.g., amount of down payment, credit score, inclusion of discount points) varies between Freddie Mac's methodology and our own.

Calculate monthly payments for different loan scenarios with our 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Mortgage Calculator.

What Causes Mortgage Rates to Rise or Fall?

Mortgage rates are determined by a complex interaction of macroeconomic and 🦹industry 🥂factors, such as:

• The level and direction of the bond market, especially 10-year Treasury yields
• The Federal Reserve's current monetary policy, especially as it relates to bond buying and funding government-backed mortgages
• Competition between mortgage lenders and across loan types

Because fluctuations can be caused by any number of these at once, it's generally difficult to attribute the change to any one factor.

Macroeconomic factors kept the mortgage market relatively low for much of 2021. In particular, the Federal Reserve had been buying billions of dollars of bonds in response to the pandemic's economic pressures. This 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:bond-buying policy is a major influencer of mortgage rates.

But starting in November 2021, the Fed began tapering its bond purchases downward, making sizable reductions each month until reaching net zero in March 2022.

Between that time and July 2023, the Fed aggressively raised the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:federal funds rate to fight decades-high inflation. While the fed funds rate can influence mo𝔉rtgage rates, it doesn't directly do so. In fact, the fed funds rate and mortgage rates can move in opposite directio🅘ns.

But given the historic speed and magnitude of the Fed's 2022 and 2023 rate increases—raising the benchmark rate 5.25 percentage points over 16 months—even the indirect influence of the fed funds rate has resulted in a dramatic upward impact on mortgage rates over the last two years.

The Fed has been maintaining the federal funds rate at its current level since last July, with an 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:eight🥃h consecu﷽tive rate hold announced on July 31. Although inflaꦗtion has come down considerably, it's still above the Fed's target level of 2%. Until the central bank feels confident inflation is falling sufficiently and sustainably, it has said it's hesitant to start cutting rates.

The Fed will hold three more meetings this year, with the next one scheduled to conclude Sept. 18.

How We Track Mortgage Rates

The national and state averages cited above are provided as is via the Zillow Mortgage API, assuming a 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of 80% (i.e., a down payment of at least 20%) and an applicant credit score in the 680–739 range. The resulting rates represent what borrowers should♑ expect when receiving quotes from lenders based on tꦗheir qualifications, which may vary from advertised teaser rates. © Zillow, Inc., 2024. Use is subject to the Zillow Terms of Use.