Kevin Hawkins's (kevinhawkins) Blog

Mixed results in the bond market, with shorter dated maturities gaining slightly and longer ones losing a tad. Safe haven buys driven by continued Euro, Middle East and Japanese nuclear concerns were discouraged by inflation worries. The price of the FNMA 4.0% bond we watch ended the week down .1...

Like yesterday's fish, stocks didn't seem very appealing to investors who can't seem to stay confident in the economy, as the Dow and the S&P 500 dipped for another week. Sure, the tech-driven Nasdaq didn't drop, but ending flat clearly isn't very bullish. Commodities came back some and the dolla...

Our resolution to succeed in the real estate market was given a bit of a boost with the National Association of Realtors (NAR) report that existing home sales were up 8.3% in the first quarter over the fourth quarter of last year. Plus, on a quarter-to-quarter basis, sales rose in every region of...

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke maintains he sees nothing wrong with Fed policy, so some economists expect these 0%-0.25% rates to be with us until the middle of next year. Note: In the lower chart, a 1% probability of change is a 99% certainty the rate will stay the same. Current Fed Funds Rate: 0%-0....

Remember: Weaker than expected economic data tends to send bond prices up and interest rates down, while positive data points to lower bond prices and rising loan rates. Economic Calendar for the Week of May 16 - May 20  Date Time (ET) Release For Consensus Prior Impact               TuMay 17 08:...

A customer called me this morning and said, "Look, I know you have told me you don't have a crystal ball for interest rates, but can you tell me, when rates do go up, based on a review of what has happened in the past, do they go up slowly a little bit at a time or can they jump up fast?" First, ...

There is quite a buzz going around about a "new tax on all real estate sales" related to new health care legislation. Here are the facts: The new health care legislation includes a 3.8% Medicare tax that may apply to certain real estate transactions in certain very specific circumstances. Unfortu...

For those of us with a strong will to succeed in this housing recovery, the way appears to be by focusing on the extraordinary affordability of today's residential market. Part of this affordability lies in the fact that mortgage rates fell again for the third week in a row, according to Freddie ...

INFLATION, CONSUMER FEELINGS, CONSUMER SPENDING... This is the week for looking at inflation once again. Thursday's Producer Price Index shows us how prices are doing at the wholesale level. The overall headline number will continue just shy of 1% with the core number holding at 0.3%. How much of...

Last week bond prices moved higher, with safe haven buying from investors concerned over Greece's threats to leave the EU and those plummeting commodities prices. The price of the FNMA 4.0% bond we watch ended the week UP .97, the same amount as last week, closing at $100.14. Higher mortgage bond...