Good morning! It’s just before 7:00 am PST as I’m writing this post. In a couple of hours, we’ll hear the announcement from the FOMC wrapping up their two day meeting on measures they will take to get inflation in line, which includes adjustments to the Fed Funds rate. The Fed Funds rate does not directly impact mortgage interest rates (except for HELOCs attached to the Prime rate), however the action the Fed takes does influence the direction of mortgage interest rates. Mortgage interest rates are based on bonds (mortgage-backed securities or MBS) and react similarly to stocks. Inflation is the “arch enemy” of bonds, which is a big part of why mortgage rates have been higher these past few years. Should the Fed indicate that inflation is taming and investors believe what the Fed is saying, we should see mortgage rates improve…and of course, the opposite is true. [Read more…]