Mortgage Purchase Demand (Applications) Fell 2% Since Last Week And 22% Since Last Year As Mortgage Rates Hit Highest Level Since 2000 (Almost 8%)

The US is teetering on World War III with tensions soaring in the Middle East, Ukraine, and southeast Asia. And Biden wanders off to Rehobeth Beach Delaware to relax … while over 200 Americans are still held hostage by terrorist group Hamas. The bad news? Biden is back in Washington DC trying to make the border crisis even worse by demanding funding for “border security” in the form of transporting illegal immigrants to US cities. Is The Squad running The White House??

But on the housing/mortgage front, we have another week of declining mortgage demand/applications as mortgage rate hit almost 8%.

Mortgage applications decreased 1.0 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending October 20, 2023.

The Market Composite Index, a measure of mortgage loan application volume, decreased 1.0 percent on a seasonally adjusted basis from one week earlier. On an unadjusted basis, the Index decreased 1 percent compared with the previous week. The Refinance Index increased 2 percent from the previous week and was 8 percent lower than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 2 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 2 percent compared with the previous week and was 22 percent lower than the same week one year ago.

Mortgage rates followed Treasuries higher, with the 30-year fixed mortgage rate jumping 20 basis points to 7.9 percent – the highest since 2000. Rates have now risen seven consecutive weeks at a cumulative amount of 69 basis points.

Hey Joe, I’ll bet those 200+ US hostages held by Hamas aren’t enjoying ice cream cones.

Back In Red! C&I Loan Lending Standards Tightening To Recession Era Levels (Bank Credit Growth Remains Negative For Twelve Straight Week)

Back in red? As US fiscal policy deteriorates further thanks to endless Federal spending (not to mention seemingly endless wars under Biden and Nobel Peace Prize winner Obama), we are seeing pain in the bank lending business.

Commercial and industrial (C&I) loan lending standards is tightening (blue line) to levels typically seen in recessions. Even though Barclays HY-10Y spreads remains low.

Bank credit growth remains negative for the twelve straight week.

Billions Biden’s spending spree has led to the budget gap has doubled in the last year.

CDS is now at 55.24, highest after the Covid shock.

Under Biden/Yellen’s economic model, the appropriate themesong is “Hell’s Bells.”

Shares Of US Firms That Missed Profit Estimates Fell By Most In Four Years (Diesel Prices UP 118% Under Biden, Food CPI UP 20%)

Bidenomics, what can you say? A big payoff to green energy Marxists, and a slap in the face to the middle class.

The shares of US firms that miss profit estimates are falling by the most in four years.

Meanwhile, the price of diesel fuel, the life’s blood of the shipping industry, is up 118% under Biden while food CPI is up 20%.

On the housing front we see a spike in pre-foreclosure sales.

Bidenomics = Distress.

Already Gone! US 10-Year Yield Rises To 5%, Highest Since 2007 As Yield Curve Goes Positive! (Housing Affordability At All-time Low)

The chances for interest rate cooling are already gone!

The 10-year Treasury yield rose to 5% for the first time since 2007 and the housing price bubble, and ensuing financial crisis and Great Recession.

Then promplty dropped below 5% again.

But at least the 30Y-2Y yield curve has turned positive.

And with rising rates, housing affordability is at a record low.

Housing prices are expected to decline later this year, but rebound in 2024.

Its another cheap tequila sunrise under Bidenomics!

But we have video of Biden and his wife Jill walking along the beach on yet another vacation to Rehobeth Beach, Delaware while the world teeters of WWIII, over 200 hostages are still held by Hamas, and housing affordability hits an all-time low. It must be nice not to care.

The most empathetic President in history, my ass.

Biden’s Highway To Hell! Subprime Auto Loan Delinquencies Erupt, Highest Rate On Record (Higher Than Great Recession And Covid Recession!)

Biden’s Highway to Hell!

Bidenomics has been a massive windfall for the top 1% of households in terms of wealth due to the emphasis on green energy transformation. But for the 99%, Bidenomics has been a disaster (unless you consider low-paying job creation a victory).

The auto sector, considered a leading economic indicator, pinpoints the arrival of the crushing auto loan crisis and even the possibility of the onset of the next recession. In late January, we Fitch revealed tat consumers are falling behind on auto payments – the most since the peak of the Great Financial Crisis. Fast forward nine months later, to September, that rate just hit the highest level in nearly three decades.

And with interest rates rising the fastest in history,

And Discover projected charge off rate for 2023 would more than double from its current 1.82% to as much as 3.90%!

In what could be the early innings of the auto loan crisis, something we called a “perfect storm” earlier this year, Bloomberg cites new Fitch data:

The percent of subprime auto borrowers at least 60 days past due on their loans rose to 6.11% in September, the highest in data going back to 1994, according to Fitch Ratings.

“The subprime borrower is getting squeezed,” said Margaret Rowe, senior director with Fitch.

Rowe said, “They can often be a first line of where we start to see the negative effects of macroeconomic headwinds.”

What has been widely known is the consumer has been funding car purchases with even more debt to afford record-high prices, with many monthly payments exceeding $1,000. Factor in the Federal Reserve’s most aggressive interest rate hiking cycle in a generation, elevated inflation, and the restarting of the federal student loan payments, tens of millions of consumers are under immense pressure this fall.

An endless stream of retailers, such as Walmart, Nordstrom, Macy’s, and Kohl’s – all of whom have recently warned about a consumer slowdown. Banks have also raised concerns, such as Morgan Stanley’s Mike Wilson, who believes the consumer is ‘falling off a cliff.’ And the latest high-frequency data from Barclays shows card spending has taken another leg down.

As delinquencies rise, Cox Automotive forecasts that 1.5 million vehicles will be seized this year, up from 1.2 million in 2022. That’s still below pre-pandemic levels, but the numbers could soar if a recession materializes in 2024.

Bloomberg cited Bankrate data that shows consumers with excellent credit can lock in an average interest rate of around 5.07% for a new car and 7.09% for a used vehicle. Those with bad credit should expect a new car rate of 14.18% and 21.38% for a used car.

The perfect storm we described earlier this year is unfolding.

At least residential mortgage delinquency rates remain low. With elevated home prices, the incentive to default on a loan is limited.

So The Perfect Storm hasn’t hit residential real estate … yet. But with households needing $114,000 in annual income to afford a typical home …

But at least home prices aren’t rising as fast as olive oil and orange juice!! Wow, that excesssive stimulypto by The Fed and Federal government is really screwing things up in the economy.

Biden is like George Clooney in “The Perfect Storm” sending the US out into stormy, violent seas while obessing about Ukraine and protecting Iran/Hamas.

Can The Fed Fix Biden/Congress Spending Addiction? Volcker, Greenspan, Yellen, Powell All Pushed Rates Lower … Until Biden (Fed Still Ignoring Taylor Rule) Mortgage Rates Continue To Climb

I had a wonderful time speaking at the Passive Investors Conference last night. One question I was asked was “Why doesn’t Powell (the current Fed Chair) pull “a Volcker” to cool inflation. She was referring to former Fed Chair Paul Volcker’s sudden raising of The Fed’s target rate which resulted in a cooling of inflation, but also an increase in the 30-year fixed mortgage rate to 16.63% in 1981.

Notice the trend in the Fed’s target rate and 30-year mortgage rate after Volcker’s rate shock. The trend in both has been downward as inflation was cooled.

But, each Fed Chair ranged from hyperactive to hypoactive (meaning doing little). Volcker and Greenspan saw wild swings in The Fed’s target rate. Bernanke pretty much only lowered rates AND expanded the Quantitative Easing (QE) or asset purchases by The Fed. And nothing has been the same since.

Yellen, now Treasury Secretary, continued Bernanke’s practice of zero interest rate policies (ZIRP) and QE (asset purchases) … until Donald Trump was elected President. In fact, Yellen raise rates only once prior to Trump’s election as President. Then raises rates 8 consecutive times. This is why I call Yellen “TLTL Janet”. Too low for too long Janet.

The she was replaced with DC insider Jerome Powell. Trump’s economy was strong (one explanation for Yellen trying to cool the economy with 8 consecutive rate hikes). But the Covid struck and Powell/Fed Open Market Committee overreacted, lowered the target rate back to 25 basis points and massively expanded the balance sheet. Powell also oversaw a rapid increase in the target rate, very Volckerish! But Powell stopped short of the rate suggested by The Taylor Rule of around 6.5% to 8.17%. The current target rate is 5.50%. So, Powell stopped far short of rates need to cool inflation.

But with Bidenomis came Bidenflation and a reversal of misfortunes for The Fed. They started rapidly raising rates … again.

Mortgage rates continue to climb as The Fed stubbornly won’t reduce its balance sheet.

Biden/Congress have a broken fiscal model where spending is out of control. And The Fed can’t buy all the debt Biden/Yellen want to issue.

US deficits are the third highest on record.

We might as well have Taylor Swift as Fed Chair. And Travis Kelce as Treasury Secretary replacing TLTL Janet.

Fire! Biden And Fed Lit A Fire The Is Burning Out Of Control, US Treasury 10Y Yield Climbs Past 5%, Real 10Y Yield At 2.46%, Mortgage Rates At 7.63% (Highest Since 2000)

Fire! Yes, Biden and Congress created a fire with it reckless Federal spending leading in 40-year highs inflation, prompting The Fed to counterattack with rapid rate hikes.

We now see the 10-year Treasury yield passing 5%. And the REAL 10-year Treasury yield passing 2.46%.

And Freddie Mac’s 30-year mortgage rate survey is at 7.63%, the highest since 2000.

Washington DC’s rampant spending is going to hurt you for a long, long time. And Biden is now prposing $100 BILLION MORE for Ukraine and Israel. Face it, that’s all Democrats and RINOS know what to do … throw money at problems.

Conference Board is now forecasting a “shallow recession in the 1st half of 2024,” pushed back again from prior calls for a recession to start in Q4, Q3, Q2, and Q1 of this year.

Here is how I feel about Washington DC in general.

Going Down! Realtors Weekly Active Inventory Down 2.7% YoY, New Listings Down 4.4% YoY As Fed Threatens More Rate Hikes (Fed Balance Sheet Remains At Near $8 TRILLION)

Going down! The US housing market, that is!

Federal Reserve Jerome Powell said at the luncheon in New York City that “Inflation is still too high”, meaning that rate cuts are on hold and maybe a rate hike or two may come.

According to the National Association of Realtors,

• Active inventory declined, with for-sale homes lagging behind year ago levels by 2.7%. For 17 straight weeks, the number of homes available for sale has registered below that of the previous year.

• New listings–a measure of sellers putting homes up for sale–were down again this week, by 4.4% from one year ago. Since mid-2022, new listings have registered lower than prior year levels, as the mortgage-rate lock-in effect freezes homeowners with low-rate existing mortgages in place. Although the year over year declines are smaller now than the double-digit pace seen earlier in 2023, declines from the pre-pandemic period are still substantial.

Inventory remains far below levels seen before the financial crisis. But Case-Shiller National Home Price Index (blue) remains elevated along with The Fed’s balance sheet (red) which is barely below $8 TRILLION. And Powell didn’t say much about speeding up the trimming of The Fed ballast.

Bidenomics Strikes Again! US Existing Home Sales Tumble To Weakest In 13 Years (First-Time Buyers Historical Lows)

Bidenomics strikes … again. No, not his inane ramblings about Hamas being “the other team” or that Hamas has to learn to shoot straight. But his policies freezing effects on the economy. Like housing.

Existing-home sales faded in September, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. Among the four major U.S. regions, sales rose in the Northeast but receded in the Midwest, South and West. All four regions registered year-over-year sales declines.

Total existing-home sales – completed transactions that include single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops – waned 2.0% from August to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.96 million in September. Year-over-year, sales dropped 15.4% (down from 4.68 million in September 2022).
…
Total housing inventory registered at the end of September was 1.13 million units, up 2.7% from August but down 8.1% from one year ago (1.23 million). Unsold inventory sits at a 3.4-month supply at the current sales pace, up from 3.3 months in August and 3.2 months in September 2022.

The total existing home sales SAAR dropped back below 4mm for the first time since October 2010 (during the foreclosure crisis)…

Source: Bloomberg

Sales fell in all regions except the Northeast in September… and in every price range…

Single-family home sales fell to an annualized 3.53 million pace, the lowest since 2010. Condominium and co-op sales also declined.

“As has been the case throughout this year, limited inventory and low housing affordability continue to hamper home sales,” said Lawrence Yun, NAR’s chief economist.

“The Federal Reserve simply cannot keep raising interest rates in light of softening inflation and weakening job gains.”

First-time buyers made up a historically low 27% of purchases, down from the prior month.

Cash sales represented 29% of total sales, matching the highest level in over a decade. Investors, who often purchase with cash and are therefore less sensitive to mortgage rates, made up 18% of the market.

“It would be very unusual to have higher cash compared to first time buyers,” Yun said on a call with reporters.

And, if mortgage rates (and thus affordability) are anything to go by, things are about to get real…

Source: Bloomberg

The median selling price rose 2.8% from a year earlier to $394,300, the highest September reading on record, pushing affordability even lower. But existing home prices are falling relative to new home prices (with the ratio near record lows)…

Finally, amid all this un-affordability for shelter, some Americans are turning elsewhere…and with mortgage rates back above 8%, it can only get worse.

It looks like The House may elect a RINO as Speaker (Patrick McHenry, RINO-NC) to replace McCarthy. One RINO replacing another RINO … all so The House can continue its insane, inflation inducing spending.

Bidenomics At Work! US Government Is Virtually The Only Borrower Left Standing, Bank Credit Declines (No Wonder Yields Are Rising!)

Its the Biden Bop! As Bidenomics continues its blitzkrieg on the US economy with the Federal government massively expanding its debt while households and business cut back on debt.

The US government is the only sector to have notably borrowed on a net basis over the last five years. The market sees that as inflationary, driving yields higher.

The pandemic saw an increase in the borrowing of all sectors. But it was the government that saw the biggest rise in GDP terms, and it is the government whose debt is still considerably higher than it was before the pandemic – the debt-to-GDP ratio is up 16 percentage points over the last five years.

In contrast, the household sector’s leverage is now lower than it was pre-pandemic, while the corporate sector’s is only marginally higher. The US government has become the borrower of first as well as last resort.

The market is picking up on this and is pricing accordingly. We can decompose nominal yields into a sum of expected short rate + real term premium + expected inflation + inflation term premium (see here for more).

Over the last three months, the main driver of rising yields in the US has been expected inflation, followed by the real risk premium. This marks a change from earlier in the year where the principal driver was the expected short rate, i.e. expectations of increases in the Federal Reserve’s policy rate.

Regressing the fiscal balance with the yield components shows that only inflation and the inflation risk premium have a negative sign, i.e. when the fiscal balance falls (greater deficit), expected inflation and the risks surrounding it increase.

Not only does increased government borrowing push up borrowing costs through greater inflation risks. When the sovereign is the only borrower, it crowds out the rest of the economy. With governments’ reputation for inefficiency, this depresses real growth.

The lost decades in Japan were primarily a result of the government stepping in to borrow as the private sector nursed its wounds from the late 1980s financial crash. But that perpetuated and entrenched the situation. With the Treasury now the sole borrower of any significance, the US risks going down a similar, yet more stagflationary path, hindering real growth, and keeping yields elevated.

On the private sector side, bank credit fell again last week.