In this Sept. 25, 2019 file photo, a realty company's signs rest on several lawns in front of newly constructed houses in Brandon, Miss.. Long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell, Thursday, June 18, 2020, as the benchmark 30-year home loan reached a new all-time low. Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reports that the average rate on the key 30-year loan declined to 3.13% from 3.21% last week. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Long-term U.S. mortgage rates fell this week as the benchmark 30-year home loan reached a new all-time low.
Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average rate on the key 30-year loan declined to 3.13% from 3.21% last week. It was the lowest level since Freddie began tracking average rates in 1971. A year ago, the rate stood at 3.84%.
The average rate on the 15-year fixed-rate mortgage eased to 2.58% from 2.62%.
In recent weeks, signs have pointed to the economy appearing to be slowly recovering from the devastation of the coronavirus pandemic, with more businesses partially reopening. The housing market has shown strength and robust homebuying demand, but it may be difficult to sustain because of the tight supply of homes available for sale, said Freddie Mac chief economist Sam Khater.
The outlook for the economy and housing will be affected by prospects for a vaccine for the virus and government relief measures and policies, Khater noted.
The government reported Thursday that about 1.5 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week, a historically high number, even as the economy increasingly reopens and employers bring some people back to work. The latest figure marked the 11th straight weekly decline in applications since they peaked at nearly 7 million in March.
Founder & CEO of Sustainable Skylines, Jacob Stonecipher, joins Cheddar to discuss how is company is bringing intelligent drone-based advertising to our coasts.
With a ban on the horizon, Frank McCourt, Founder of Project Liberty, wants to purchase TikTok and put people in control of their digital identities and data.
Angie Hicks, Co-Founder at Angi, gives tips to avoid blowing your fuse while decking the halls, plus, winterization preparations you may have forgotten!
Matt Durot, Senior Reporter at Forbes, joins Cheddar to unpack all things Elon Musk including his soaring wealth, relationship to Trump and if he has a will.
David McKillips, President and CEO of CEC Entertainment, discusses the ongoing Chuck E. Cheese brand refresh, new locations, updated play spaces and more.
Lila MacLellan, Senior Writer at Fortune, discusses how the healthcare industry is reacting to the murder of United Healthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Watch!
Matt Hougan from Bitwise Asset Management joins Cheddar to discuss how and why Bitcoin is continuing to rise and what the future holds for the cryptocurrency.