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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, October 31, 2008

30-year mortgage rates spike to 6.46%

By Martin Crutsinger
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Rates on 30-year mortgages spiked this week as the tumult in financial markets continued to be felt in housing finance.

Mortgage giant Freddie Mac reported yesterday that 30-year, fixed-rate mortgages averaged 6.46 percent this week, up from 6.04 percent last week. The sharp increase pushed 30-year rates to the highest level since the week of Oct. 16.

Rates on 30-year mortgages hit a high for the year of 6.63 percent in late July and then dropped to a seven-month low of 5.78 percent the week of Sept. 18.

Analysts attributed the increase to the impact the financial crisis is having on bond markets. The upheavals on Wall Street last month drove investors to the safety of Treasury securities. Now that the panic is easing a bit, investors are moving out of Treasury bonds into other investments. That movement means less demand for Treasury securities, pushing their yields higher. That increase drives up rates for mortgages linked to those investments.

The Freddie Mac survey showed that all categories of mortgages rose this week.

Rates on 15-year fixed-rate mortgages, which are popular with people who are refinancing, rose to 6.19 percent, compared to 5.72 percent last week.

Rates on five-year adjustable-rate mortgages rose to 6.36 percent, up from 6.06 percent last week.

Rates on one-year adjustable-rate mortgages rose to 5.38 percent, up from 5.23 percent last week.

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