By Staff Reporters
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Mortgage rates have climbed to their highest levels in 21 years, according to data released by Freddie Mac on Thursday. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage averaged 7.09% over the week ending on Thursday, marking a significant increase from 6.96% the week prior, the data showed.
The Federal Reserve has put forward an aggressive string of interest rate hikes as it tries to slash inflation by slowing the economy and choking off demand. That means borrowers face higher costs for everything from car loans to credit card debt to mortgages.
When the Fed imposed its first rate hike of the current series in March 2022, the average 30-year fixed mortgage stood at just 4.45%, Mortgage News Daily data shows.
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Here is where the major benchmarks ended:
- The S&P 500 Index was down 33.97 points (0.8%) at 4,370.36; the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) was down 290.91 points (0.8%) at 34,474.83; the NASDAQ Composite was down 157.70 points (1.2%) at 13,316.93.
- The 10-year Treasury note yield (TNX) was up about 3 basis points at 4.286%.
- CBOE’s Volatility Index (VIX) was up 1.22 at 18.00.
Consumer discretionary and retail were among the weakest sectors Thursday. Technology shares were also under pressure, even after Cisco Systems (CSCO) reported better-than-expected quarterly results.
Energy stocks held up somewhat better as crude oil futures rose about 1% after the Energy Department reported an unexpectedly large decline in U.S. supplies.
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