Freddie Mac, Trade, and Santa Claus
December 02, 2019
Freddie Mac recently reported its forecast on the housing market revealing that a strong labor should continue to buoy the sector into 2020. Freddie Mac is forecasting that mortgage rates will remain low while originations will be robust. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is expected at 3.8% in Q4 2019 with 2020 averaging 3.8%. Total originations are expected at $2.101 trillion this year and $2.132 trillion in 2020. The GSE went on to say that with low-interest rates, modest inflation, and a solid labor market, the U.S. housing market continues to show strength. Freddie Mac’s forecast is for the U.S. housing market to maintain momentum over the next two years. Manufacturing activity across the U.S. contracted for the fourth straight month in November due in part to the trade issues between the US and China. The ISM Manufacturing Index fell to 48.1 last month from 48.3 in October. The new orders index slipped, while the employment component also declined. A reading above 50 indicates that the manufacturing economy is generally expanding; below 50 indicates that it is generally contracting. The major stock indexes here in the US have had a banner year due in part to a strong labor market along with solid consumer spending. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up 20% year-to-date, the S&P is up 25% while the tech-heavy NASDAQ is higher by 30%. With such lofty gains this year, could stock prices move even higher still in December? That depends upon if whether or not a “Phase One” trade deal between the US and China is hammered out by the December 15 deadline. Will there be a Santa Claus rally at year’s end … it remains to be seen. A Santa Claus rally is a calendar effect that involves a rise in stock prices during the last 5 trading days in December and the first 2 trading days in the following January.
