The "Fed Minutes" is an official recap of the most recent meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee. It's published 8 times annually, 3 weeks after the FOMC adjourns.
The Fed Minutes is similar to the meeting minutes released after a corporate conference or condo association gathering in that they provide additional details about the conversation and debate that occurred between meeting attendees.
The Fed Minutes are a lengthy companion to the Federal Reserve's brief, more well-known, post-meeting press release. But, whereas the press release is measured in paragraphs, the minutes are measured in pages.
Here is some of what the Fed discussed last month:
- On inflation : Core inflation levels "trend lower"; disinflation risks are low.
- On housing : The market is still "quite depressed"; demand is "very weak".
- On stimulus : The Fed will stick to its $600 billion support plan
In response, conforming mortgage rates in utah are unchanged today.
The no-change in rates is welcome news for this month's home buyers and other people wanting to get a jump on the "Spring Buying Season". Mortgage rates have been trending higher since November, erasing 7 months of gains in 7 weeks, and rapidly approaching the psychologically-important 5 percent figure.
Currently, Freddie Mac reports the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate as 4.86%.
As compared to November, mortgage rates are higher. As compared to history, however, mortgage rates remain low. If you are still floating a rate, or have otherwise not locked, your opportunity may be ending. Once the economy moves to higher gear, mortgage rates will be among the first of the casualties.
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