MBA Mortgage Applications Drop 0.5% WoW, Refi Apps DOWN 85% YoY, Purchase Apps DOWN 41% YoY (75 Basis Point Increase In Fed Rate Expected Today, Peaking At 5% In May 2023)

US mortgage applications declined for the sixth consecutive week despite a slight drop in rates.

Mortgage applications decreased 0.5 percent from one week earlier, according to data from the Mortgage Bankers Association’s (MBA) Weekly Mortgage Applications Survey for the week ending October 28, 2022. This week’s results include revised data to reflect an update to last week’s survey results.

The Refinance Index increased 0.2 percent from the previous week and was 85 percent lower than the same week one year ago. The seasonally adjusted Purchase Index decreased 1 percent from one week earlier. The unadjusted Purchase Index decreased 2 percent compared with the previous week and was 41 percent lower than the same week one year ago.

This morning’s WIRP (Fed Funds Futures data) is pointing to a 75 basis point increase from The FED FOMC (open market committee) at 2pm EST, rising to over 5% by the May 2023 meeting before declining again.

I feel like The Fed is fixing to let the economy die.

The Fed’s BIG Green Bag (Of Money)! Goldman Sees Fed Rate Peaking In March At 5%, Core Inflation Rate UP > 400% Under Biden (US Yield Curve Inverted Prior To Nov 2nd FOMC Meeting)

The next Federal Reserve Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting in on Wednesday, November 2nd. Let’s see what The Fed does with its BIG GREEN BAG … OF MONEY.

As I set here on Sunday morning waiting to see how the Cleveland Browns will lose to cross-state rival Cincinnati Bengals, I see that both the US Treasury 10yr-2yr and 10yr-3mo yield curves are inverted (below zero).

Core inflation (CPI less food and energy) YoY (blue line) was only 1.3% in February 2021 shortly after Biden was sworn-in as President and is now 6.6% in September 2022. That is over a 400% increase in core inflation!

We have this tantalizing headline on Bloomberg:

Goldman Sachs Now Sees Fed Rates Peaking at 5% in March By Simon Kennedy(Bloomberg) —

Goldman Sachs Group Inc. economists said they now expect the US Federal Reserve to raise interest rates to 5%, higher than previously predicted.

The central bank will lift its benchmark rate to a range of 4.75% to 5% in March, 25 basis points more than earlier expected, economists led by Jan Hatzius wrote in an Oct. 29 research report.

The route to the new peak includes increases of 75 basis points this week, 50 basis points in December and 25 basis points in February and March, they said.

The economists cited three reasons for expecting the Fed to hike beyond February: “uncomfortably high” inflation, the need to cool the economy as fiscal tightening ends and price-adjusted incomes climb, and to avoid a premature easing of financial conditions.

Well, not exactly earth-shattering. Fed Funds Futures data point to a peak of near 5% (4.905%) for the May 2023 FOMC meeting, so Goldman Sachs is calling for an earliest peak at the March 2023 FOMC meeting,

Regardless of what Goldman Sachs thinks, Fed officials are expecting a peak in 2023 followed by a decline to 2.5%.

Brainard and Bostic are the only “doves.” Which is silly because Chicago’s Evans is a perma-dove. Let’s see how the Dots Plot changes at the November 2nd meeting.

America’s distressed debt pile is biggest since September 2020.

US Pending Home Sales Collapse -30.4% YoY In September (10th Negative Month In A Row) As Fed Plans MORE Rate Hikes (Personal Saving Rate DOWN -59.3% YoY)

I was in an MRI tube getting a scan of the brain tumor that is causing me problems. So, I missed this morning’s new dump. And what a dump it was!

First, pending home sales have collapsed (down -30.4% YoY) for September. Look at pending home sales against M2 Money growth.

Then we have the employment cost index, up 5%. This will encourage The Fed to tighten further, even if it causes a recession.

How about the US Personal Saving Rate YoY?? It is down -59.3%.

But were living on Washington DC time!

US Q3 Real GDP At 1.8% YoY, GDP Price Index Falls To 4.1% YoY As M2 Money Crashes Most In History (UST 10yr – 3mo Yield Curve Inverts) Heating Oil UP 162% Under Biden

US Q3 GDP numbers are out and they are … meh. Only Biden and Karine Jean-Pierre would cheer about 1.8% real GDP growth. At least real GDP growth wasn’t negative!

Real GDP rose 2.6% after -0.6% in Q2 and 1.8% YoY. But the most interesting data bit is the GDP Price Index. It fell to 4.1% in Q3 down from a whopping 9.0% in Q2.

But wait! Also declining at a stall speed is M2 Money.

And brace yourself for a cold winter. Heating oil is UP 162% under Biden.

US Mortgage Rates At 7.20% As US Yield Curve 10YR-3MO Inverts (M2 Money YoY Lowest Since 2010)

As the midterm elections get close, the news for Americans gets worse.

On the housing/mortgage front, Bankrate’s 30-year mortgage rate (yellow line) just hit 7.20%, the highest since 2000. Also, the US Treasury 10yr-3mo yield curve (white line) inverted, historically a precursor to recession, before barely climbing back above 0%.

Meanwhile, M2 Money growth has collapsed to the lowest level since 2010.

US GDP numbers are due out at 8:30AM EST for Q3. The numbers are expected to show slow growth (around 2.4%) with rapid inflation (5.3%). While the GDP numbers are better than Q2’s numbers, they are still pretty lousy.

US New Home Sales Tank -17.6% YoY In September (Declines In 15 Of Last 16 Months) As Rates Soar With Fed Tightening (Median Price Of New Homes Sold UP 7.8% YoY)

Another day, another lousy economic report under Biden.

Today, we found out that new home sales declined -11% MoM (from August to September) and fell -17.6% from last year YoY. With 603k SAAR sold.

The median price of new home sales was UP 7.8% YoY.

Here is the rest of the story as Paul Harvey used to say.

The housing and mortgage markets seem broken. Time for a new approach??

Biden’s Thanksgiving Feast! Candy UP 13.1% For Halloween, Turkey UP 73% As Diesel Prices (The Cost Of Shipping Goods) Is Up 102% Under Biden

Biden’s policies are making Halloween and Thanksgiving MUCH more expensive.

The latest inflation figures released by the federal government show that the price of candy and chewing gum rose by 13.1% last month — the biggest jump ever recorded. And turkey prices are up a whopping 73%!

One reason is diesel fuel prices are up 102% under Biden’s Reign of Error. While inventory of diesel fuel down -37%. Meanwhile core inflation is up from a measly 1.3% to a whopping 6.6% at the latest inflation report.

Introducing Biden’s Thanksgiving dinner … in a can to cope with rising prices.

Just kidding. This is too clever for the clueless Biden Administration. But Karine Jean-Pierre might get as confused as Joe Biden and repeat it as one of the ways that The Biden Administration is helping consumers.

Damn it, Janet (Yellen)! Get your story on inflation correct for once.

Biden’s Famous Chili!

Fed Is Losing Billions, Wiping Out Profits That Funded Spending (Agency MBS Prices Falling While Duration And Convexity Soar)

As I told my Chicago, Ohio State and George Mason University finance and real estate students, repeatedly, “Watch out when The Fed begins to tighten monetary policy. It will be a bloodbath for taxpayers.”

Well, here we are. I argue that Biden’ green energy knucklehead policies are driving inflation, or it could be the insane level of Federal spending that Obama economist Larry Summers warned us about, or rising wages (in part due to Federal spending) is to thank for inflation. Or all of the above.

Regardless of the cause, the bond market is enduring its worst selloff in a generation, triggered by high inflation and the aggressive interest-rate hikes that central banks are implementing. Falling bond prices, in turn, mean paper losses on the massive holdings that the Fed and others accumulated during their rescue efforts in recent years.

Rate hikes also involve central banks paying out more interest on the reserves that commercial banks park with them. That’s tipped the Fed into operating losses, creating a hole that may ultimately require the Treasury Department to fill via debt sales. The UK Treasury is already preparing to make up a loss at the Bank of England.

The Reserve balance has crashed into negative territory.

And Fed losses are skyrocketing.

Agency MBS prices are up today, but are down since August 2022. But risk measures duration and convexity are zooming upwards.

Blackhawks! Where Interest Rates Are Headed In One Chart (Fed Blackhawks Versus Doves)

The Federal Reserve’s DOTS PLOT shows where each Fed official’s projection for the central bank’s key short-term interest rate is headed. As of the September 21, 2022 Fed Open Market Committee (FOMC) meeting, the prediction of future Fed target rates is decidedly DOWNWARD SLOPING.

The Fed hawks, those that want to tighten monetary policy, are Bowman, Waller, Kashkari, Mester and George. The Fed doves (or those who are neutral) are Biden recent appointees Barr, Cook, Jefferson, Logan, Collins. Note that Brainard and Bostic are the only technical doves.

I call the hawks at The Fed “The Blackhawks” since their mission of fighting inflation may lead to a recession. And Bowman, Mester and George are Lady Blackhawks.

On a different note, I am always amazed at First Lady Jill Biden’s wardrobe. She looks like she shops as La-Z-Boy furniture stores.

25 Days Later! US Has Only 25 Days of Diesel Supply (Shortage Could Cripple Economy) Biden Hates Diesel So Bad

25 days later. A real-life horror created by The Federal government.

Yes, according to the US Department of Energy, the US has only 25 days of diesel supply left.

The diesel crunch comes just weeks ahead of the midterm elections and has the potential to drive up prices for consumers who already view inflation and the economy as a top voting issue. Retail prices have been steadily climbing for more than two weeks. At $5.324 a gallon, they’re 50% higher than this time last year, according to AAA data.

Notably, National Economic Council Director Brian Deese recently commented on the emerging crisis. Deese said diesel inventories are “unacceptably low” and added that “all options are on the table.”

Everything EXCEPT abandoning green energy policies that is. Because Biden and Democrats hate diesels so bad.

Yesh, diesel fuels prices are surging again as diesel inventory is shockingly low.

At least the US gets to live out a horror story created by The Federal government because failed Presidential candidate Al “The Snore” Gore and a teenage Swedish girl (Greta Thunberg) told Biden and Democrats to hate fossil fuels.

How dare you … drive inflation through the roof because of your green energy lunacy.

See you at the truck stop at the end of the world! Hopefully, they have diesel fuel!!