U.S. Mortgage Rates Tumble on Weak Jobs Report

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Based on Freddie Mac's latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), the average fixed mortgage rate followed Treasury yields lower following a more than disappointing September 2015 jobs report. This continues to keep average rates below four percent for the 11th consecutive week, including the 15-year fixed falling below 3 percent once again for the first time since April of this year.
 
Sean Becketti, chief economist at Freddie Mac commented, "Calling the September jobs report disappointing is an understatement. The sputtering U.S. economy added only 142,000 jobs. To make matters worse, there were downward revisions to the prior two months. Hourly wages were flat, and the labor force participation rate fell to 62.4 percent, the lowest rate since 1977. In response, Treasury yields dipped below 2 percent triggering a 9 basis point tumble in the 30-year mortgage rate to 3.76 percent."
 
Freddie Mac News Facts

• 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.76 percent with an average 0.6 point for the week ending October 8, 2015, down from last week when it averaged 3.85 percent. A year ago at this time, the 30-year FRM averaged 4.19 percent.

• 15-year FRM this week averaged 2.99 percent with an average 0.6 point, down from last week when it averaged 3.07 percent. A year ago at this time, the 15-year FRM averaged 3.36 percent.

• 5-year Treasury-indexed hybrid adjustable-rate mortgage (ARM) averaged 2.88 percent this week with an average 0.4 point, down from 2.91 percent last week. A year ago, the 5-year ARM averaged 3.06 percent.

• 1-year Treasury-indexed ARM averaged 2.55 percent this week with an average 0.2 point, up from 2.53 percent last week. At this time last year, the 1-year ARM averaged 2.42 percent.