News & Media
Mortgage rates – Every Thursday, Freddie Mac publishes interest rates based on a survey of mortgage lenders throughout the week. The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as of February 19, 2026 were as follows:
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.01%, down from 6.09% last week. The 15-year fixed was 5.35%, down from 5.44% last week.
The graph below shows the trajectory of mortgage rates over the past year.
Inflation cooled in January – The consumer price index (CPI) was released on Friday it showed that consumer prices grew at an annual rate of 2.4% in January, down from a 2.7% annual increase in December. The core (CPI), which excludes food and energy increased 2.5% from one year ago, down from 2.6% in December.
Mortgage rates – Mortgage rates dropped on Friday after the CPI report showed inflation is cooling – Every Thursday, Freddie Mac publishes interest rates based on a survey of mortgage lenders throughout the week. The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as of February 5, 2026 were as follows: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.11%, nearly unchanged from 6.1% last week. The 15-year fixed was 5.5 %, nearly unchanged from 5.49% last week.Rates dropped on Thursday and Friday and ended the week with the 30-year dropping below 6%.
The graph below shows the trajectory of mortgage rates over the past year.
Hiring picked up in January – The Bureau of Labor and Statistics released the January jobs report on Wednesday. It showed that 130,000 new jobs were created in January. This was more than double the 55,000 new jobs that economists surveyed expected. The unemployment rate dropped to 4.3%, from 4.4% in December. Additionally, data from 2025 was revised downward, showing total non-farm employment growth for the year was only 181,000, marking 2025 as the fewest new jobs created in a non-recession year.
Stock markets finished the week lower – After closing above 50,000 for the first time ever last week the Dow had a losing week and closed well below that 50,000 milestone. Much of the loss was attributed to profit taking. There was also some loses in the technology sector as fears that AI may make some programing and other non-hardware tech companies obsolete. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week at 49,500.93, down 1.2% from 50,115.67 last week. It is up 3% year-to-date from 48,063.29 on December 31, 2025. The S&P 500 closed the week at 6,936.76, down 0.1% from 6,932.30 last week. The S&P is up 1.3% year-to-date from 6,845.50 on December 31, 2025. The Nasdaq closed the week at 22,546.67, down 2.1% from 23,031.63 last week. It is down 3% year-to-date from 23,241.99 on December 31, 2025.
The 10-year treasury bond closed the week yielding 4.04%, down from 4.22% last week. The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the week at 4.69%, down slightly from 4.85% last week. We watch bond yields because mortgage rates follow bond yields.
January home sales and prices – Home sales data is released on the third week of the month for the previous month by the National Association of Realtors and the California Association of Realtors. A summary of their home sales reports will be in next week’s update. We tabulate the same data from information derived from the local MLS systems on the 9th of each month for the previous month. You can get a report now for your city or zip code on our site RodeoRe.com.
Mortgage rates – Every Thursday, Freddie Mac publishes interest rates based on a survey of mortgage lenders throughout the week. The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as of February 12, 2026 were as follows:
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.09%, almost unchanged from 6.1% last week. The 15-year fixed was 5.44 %, down from 5.49% last week.
The graph below shows the trajectory of mortgage rates over the past year.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed above 50,000 – The Dow closed above 50,000 for the first time in history. Stocks were sharply lower earlier in the week but surged on Friday as corporate earnings overall beat expectations and Fed Chair nominee Kevin Warsh, who is expected to replace Jerome Powell in May if confirmed, also made comments expressing support for substantially lower interest rates once inflation continues to moderate.
Stock markets – After two years of incredible gains in the tech sector that propelled the tech-heavy Nasdaq and S&P stocks, financials, industrials, and “old-economy” Dow stocks led the surge this week. Some large software companies came under pressure as investors expressed concern that artificial intelligence could make certain traditional software platforms less valuable, while technology hardware companies performed well as demand continues to grow for the chips, servers, and infrastructure needed to power AI. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week at 50,115.67, up 2.5% from 48,897.47 last week. It is already up 4.3% year-to-date from 48,063.29 on December 31, 2025. The S&P 500 closed the week at 6,932.30, down 0.1% from 6,939.03 last week. The S&P is up 1.3% year-to-date from 6,845.50 on December 31, 2025. The Nasdaq closed the week at 23,031.63, down 1.8% from 23,461.82 last week. It is down 0.9% year-to-date from 23,241.99 on December 31, 2025.
The 10-year treasury bond closed the week yielding 4.22%, down from 4.26% last week. The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the week at 4.85%, down slightly from 4.87% last week. We watch bond yields because mortgage rates follow bond yields.
The Bureau of Labor and Statistics has delayed the January jobs report. The January jobs report, which was scheduled to be released yesterday, was delayed due to the partial government shutdown and will now be released next Wednesday. Investors are preparing for a weaker report. ADP, the country’s largest payroll company, estimated last Wednesday that just 22,000 new jobs were created, well below the 44,000 expected. The current environment in many ways resembles the late-1990s expansion, with a somewhat softer labor market but a very strong economy supported by solid consumer spending.
Mortgage rates – Every Thursday, Freddie Mac publishes interest rates based on a survey of mortgage lenders throughout the week. The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as of February 5, 2026 were as follows: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.11%, nearly unchanged from 6.1% last week. The 15-year fixed was 5.5 %, nearly unchanged from 5.49% last week.
The graph below shows the trajectory of mortgage rates over the past year.
Have a Great Weekend!
Mortgage rates – Every Thursday, Freddie Mac publishes interest rates based on a survey of mortgage lenders throughout the week. The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as of February 5, 2026 were as follows:
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.11%, nearly unchanged from 6.1% last week. The 15-year fixed was 5.5 %, nearly unchanged from 5.49% last week.
The graph below shows the trajectory of mortgage rates over the past year.
Fed leaves rates unchanged – Trump nominated a new Fed Chairman – The Federal Reserve ended its January Open Market Committee Meeting (FOMC) on Wednesday and elected to leave interest rates unchanged. While many investors were not surprised due to comments from Fed Chairman Powell and other Fed members, it was a reverse in direction from a ¼% rate drop at its previous three meetings. Powell stated after the meeting that inflation remained elevated but that they felt that it was tariff-related, not demand-driven, an indication that he was not feeling that the economy was heating up. He also said that they felt the labor market was stabilizing. It had suffered its worst year in job gains and the highest unemployment rate since COVID. On Friday, President Trump nominated Kevin Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell as the next Fed Chairman. Powell’s term ends in May.
Inflation – Consumer prices show inflation levels remained unchanged in December – The December Consumer Price Index (CPI) was released this week. It showed that consumer prices rose 2.7% from one year ago in December. This was slightly higher than analysts’ expectations of a 2.6% annual increase. Core CPI, which excludes volatile goods like food and energy, rose 2.6% on an annualized basis. This was below the 2.7% increase experts had forecasted.
Job growth stalled and the unemployment rate rose in 2025 – December Jobs report shows hiring was sluggish while the unemployment rate dipped. Recent labor market data point to a continued moderation in U.S. hiring activity. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that 50,000 new jobs were added in December. That was below the analyst’s expectations of 70,000. Revisions to the prior two months reduced reported job gains by a combined 76,000. As a result, average monthly job growth for 2025 stands at 49,000, down from 168,000 in 2024, and the three-month average has turned modestly negative. For the year employers added just 584,000 jobs last year, down from 2.2 million new jobs in 2024, marking its worst non-recession year of job growth since 2003. At the same time, the unemployment rate dropped to 4.4% in December, down from a revised 4.5% in November. That is better than economists’ expectations of 4.5% and below the long-term historical average of approximately 5.5%. Despite the slowdown in hiring, average hourly earnings rose 3.8% compared to one year ago.
The graph below shows the CPI rate since 2021
Stock markets – The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the month at 48,892.47, up 1.7% from 48,063.29 on December 31, 2025. The S&P 500 closed the month at 6,939.03, up 1.4% from 6,845.50 on December 31, 2025. The NASDAQ closed at 23,461.82, up 0.9% from 23,241.99 at the end of December.
U.S. Treasury Bond Yields – The 10-year U.S. Treasury bond yield closed the month at 4.26%, up from 4.18% on December 31, 2025. The 30-year US treasury bond yield ended the month at 4.87%, up from 4.84% on Dec. 31, 2025. We watch bond yields because mortgage rates often follow Treasury bond yields.
Mortgage rates – The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as of December 29, 2025, were as follows: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.10%, down from 6.15% on December 31, 2025. The 15-year fixed was 5.49%, up from 5.44% on December 31, 2025.
The graph below shows the trajectory of mortgage rates over the past year.
Home sales figures are released on the third week of the month for the previous month from the National Association of Realtors and the California Association of Realtors. Here is a summary of the December existing home sales reports.
U.S. existing-home sales – December 2025 – The National Association of Realtors reported that existing-home sales totaled 4.35 million units on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate in November, up 5.1% from the number of homes sold in November and up 1.4% from the number of homes sold last December. The median price paid for a home sold in the U.S. in November was $404,400, down slightly from $409,200 in November, but up 0.4% from $403,700 one year ago.
California existing-home sales – The California Association of Realtors reported that existing-home sales totaled 288,200 on an annualized basis in December, up 2% from a revised 282,490 last December. The statewide median price paid for a home was $850,680 in December, down 0.4% from $855,680 in November. The statewide median price peaked at $910,160 in April before falling steadily each month to end the year down 7% from its peak. Year-over-year, the median price dropped 1.3% from $861,020 on December 31, 2024.
The graph below shows CAR sales data by county for Southern California. 
Fed leaves rates unchanged – Trump nominated a new Fed Chairman – The Federal Reserve ended its January Open Market Committee Meeting (FOMC) on Wednesday and elected to leave interest rates unchanged. While many investors were not surprised due to comments from Fed Chairman Powell and other Fed members, it was a reversal in direction from a ¼% rate drop at its previous three meetings. Powell stated after the meeting that inflation remained elevated but that they felt that it was tariff-related, not demand-driven, an indication that he was not feeling that the economy was heating up. He also said that they felt the labor market was stabilizing. It had suffered its worst year in job gains and the highest unemployment rate since COVID. On Friday, President Trump nominated Kevin Warsh to succeed Jerome Powell as the next Fed Chairman. Powell’s term ends in May.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week at 48,892.47, down 0.4% from 49,098.71 last week. It is already up 1.7% from 48,063.29 on December 31, 2025. The S&P 500 closed the week at 6,939.03, up 0.3% from 6,915.71 last week. The S&P is up 1.4% from 6,845.50 on December 31, 2025. The Nasdaq closed the week at 23,461.82, down 0.2% from 23,501.24 last week. It is up 0.9% from 23,241.99 on December 31, 2024.
The 10-year treasury bond closed the week yielding 4.26%, up slightly from 4.24% last week. The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the week at 4.87%, up from 4.82% last week. We watch bond yields because mortgage rates follow bond yields.
Mortgage rates – Every Thursday, Freddie Mac publishes interest rates based on a survey of mortgage lenders throughout the week. The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as of January 29, 2026, were as follows: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.1%, almost unchanged from 6.09% last week. The 15-year fixed was 5.49%, up from 5.38% last week.
The graph below shows the trajectory of mortgage rates over the past year.
Have a Great Weekend!
Mortgage rates – Every Thursday, Freddie Mac publishes interest rates based on a survey of mortgage lenders throughout the week. The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as of January 29, 2026 were as follows:
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.1%, almost unchanged from 6.09% last week. The 15-year fixed was 5.49 %, up from 5.38% last week.
The graph below shows the trajectory of mortgage rates over the past year.
| Mortgage rates – Every Thursday, Freddie Mac publishes interest rates based on a survey of mortgage lenders throughout the week. The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as of January 22, 2026, were as follows: The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.09%, up slightly from 6.06% last week. The 15-year fixed was 5.44%, up from 5.38% last week.
The graph below shows the trajectory of mortgage rates over the past year.
Stock Markets and most prominent financial news of the week – It was another wild week for stocks, bond markets, and interest rates. It began with stock markets, which were closed on Monday for Martin Luther King Day, dropping over 2% on Tuesday when new tariffs on Europe were announced to begin on February 1 over the Greenland controversy. Stock markets dropped over 2%, their biggest one-day drop since tariffs were first announced on April 2, 2025. Bond yields and interest rates also rose. Fortunately, the “framework of a deal” was announced on Thursday and stock markets recovered much of their losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week at 49,098.71, down 0.5% from 49,359.33 last week. It is already up 2.2% from 48,063.29 on December 31, 2025. The S&P 500 closed the week at 6,915.71, down 0.4% from 6,940.01 last week. The S&P is up 1% from 6,845.50 on December 31, 2025. The Nasdaq closed the week at 23,501.24, down 0.1% from 23,515.39 last week. It is up 1.1% from 23,241.99 on December 31, 2024. The 10-year treasury bond closed the week yielding 4.24%, unchanged from 4.24% last week. The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the week at 4.82%, almost unchanged from 4.83% last week. We watch bond yields because mortgage rates follow bond yields. Home sales figures are released on the third week of the month for the previous month from the National Association of Realtors and the California Association of Realtors. Here is a summary of the December existing home sales reports. U.S. existing-home sales – December 2025 – The National Association of Realtors reported that existing-home sales totaled 4.35 million units on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate in November, up 5.1% from the number of homes sold in November and up 1.4% from the number of homes sold last December. The median price paid for a home sold in the U.S. in November was $404,400, down slightly from $409,200 in November, but up 0.4% from $403,700 one year ago. California existing-home sales – The California Association of Realtors reported that existing-home sales totaled 288,200 on an annualized basis in December, up 2% from a revised 282,490 last December. The statewide median price paid for a home in was $850,680 in December, down 0.4% from $855,680 in November. The statewide median price peaked at $910,160 in April before falling steadily each month to end the year down 7% from its peak. Year-over-year the median price dropped 1.3% from $861,020 on December 31, 2024. Have a Great Weekend! |
Mortgage rates – Every Thursday, Freddie Mac publishes interest rates based on a survey of mortgage lenders throughout the week. The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as of January 22, 2026, were as follows:
The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.09%, up slightly from 6.06% last week. The 15-year fixed was 5.44%, up from 5.38% last week.
The graph below shows the trajectory of mortgage rates over the past year.
