From Matthew Graham at Mortgage News Daily: Rates Stay Near Highs Despite Market Improvement
Mortgage rates stayed close to the highest levels in more than 2 years today, even though underlying bond markets left plenty of room for improvement. Typically, when bond markets improve as much as they did today, rates would be noticeably lower. The inconsistency has to do with more conservative lender pricing strategies surrounding the holiday season.
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All this having been said, a few lenders did update rates this afternoon, offering slight improvements. The average effective rate (which adjusts for closing costs) fell just slightly, but the average contract rate for a conventional 30yr fixed loan remained at 4.375% for a top tier scenario, with several lenders still up at 4.5%
emphasis added
CR Note: We should see a further drop in refinance activity, and I expect some slowdown in housing (still thinking about this).
Here is a table from Mortgage News Daily: