Rates on 30-year new purchase mortgages increased on Wednesday after dipping slightly the day before. The flagship average is now 6.78%. Though still slightly above the three-month low registered last week, the current average is a notable improvement from the 7%-plus rates we saw early in July. Rate movement for most other mortgage types was also mildly down Wednesday.

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 reಌgulaꦆrly, no matter the type of home loan you seek.

Today's New Purchase Mortgage Rate Averages

Rates on 30-year mortgages increased by a single basis point on Wednesday, moving the average to 6.78%. That is only 8 basis points higher than last week's 6.70% reading, the lowest average recorded since March, and 30 basis points under the 7.08% reading on July 1.

Though rates on 30-year mortgages are elevated compared to February, whꦬen the average sank to 6.36%, they are far below the historic 23-year high of 8.01% in October.

Rates on 15-year mortgages held steady on Wednesday at 5.89%. The 15-year average remains near its lowest price since March, when it was 5.83%. Current rates on 15-year loans are far below last fall's 7.08% peak—the highest reading since 2000.

Jumbo 30-year rates moved down by 2 basis points, lowering the average to 6.98%, marginally above last week's four-week low of 6.96%, and well below 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. Today's reading inched up by a single basis point to 6.78%—just above its lowest level in four months seen last week. 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 interaﷺction 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 t🍒he fed funds rate can influence mortgage rates, it doesn't directly do so. In fact, the fed funds rate and mortgage rates can move in opposite directions.

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 a seventh cons𝕴ecutive rate hold announced last month. Although inflation has come down consi🧸derably, 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 cut💃ting rates.

The Fed will hold four more meetings this year, with the next one scheduled to conclude July 31.

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 their qualifications, whic🅷h may vary from advertised teaser rates. © Zillow, Inc., 2024. Use is subject to the Zillow Terms of Use.