US 30-year mortgage rate hits highest in nearly three years
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The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate hit 7.49% last week, severely hurting Americans’ affordability.
PHOTO: AFP
- The average US 30-year fixed mortgage rate rose to 7.49%, its highest in nearly three years, making homes less affordable for buyers.
- Higher Treasury yields, oil prices, and stronger growth pushed borrowing costs up. Inflation also rose to 3.4% in August, above the Fed's 2% target.
- Mortgage applications fell 4.2% last week. The MBA said few homeowners want to refinance, and many buyers are stepping back from the market.
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The interest rate on the most common US home loan jumped last week to its highest in almost three years, worsening affordability for buyers four weeks before elections that will decide if President Donald Trump’s Republicans keep control of Congress.
The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage surged 19 basis points to 7.49% in the week ended Oct 2, the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) said on Oct 7. It was last higher in November 2023.
Mortgage rates are tied closely to the yield on US 10-year Treasury notes, which earlier this week hit a 24-year high, driven by worries over inflationary pressures from soaring oil prices and data showing stronger US economic growth.
The cost of living is the top issue on Americans’ minds as they decide how they will vote on Nov 3, a Reuters/Ipsos poll completed on Oct 5 showed, and is one reason why Trump’s approval rating is at a record low of 32%.
Home borrowing rates are up about 1.4 percentage points since joint US-Israeli strikes against Iran began in late February, tracking a similar rise in the 10-year Treasury yield, which topped 5.3% on Oct 5.
Inflation is also on the rise, registering 3.4% in August by a measure that the Federal Reserve targets at 2%.
Fed policymakers have signalled they expect to follow their September interest-rate increase with another hike by year’s end, though markets are for now betting they will not move at their upcoming policy meeting at the end of October.
Mortgage loan applications fell 4.2% last week from the previous week, the MBA said on Oct 7, with refinancing applications dropping sharply. Overall application volumes are the lowest since February 2025 and have fallen nearly 50% since January.
“Very few homeowners have an incentive to refinance at these rates, and the jump in borrowing costs has caused many potential borrowers to step back from the purchase market,” said Joel Kan, the MBA’s deputy chief economist. REUTERS