• Monday’s mortgage rates should be higher than Friday’s early pricing by approximately .250 of a discount point. The bond market is currently down 9/32 (4.58%).

 • Stocks are starting the week mixed with the Dow down 108 points and the Nasdaq up 114 points.

 • We are seeing headlines from the Middle East drive this morning’s bond trading. They include deaths of U.S. servicemen and higher gas prices at the pump as a result of escalating military action going back and forth this past weekend.

 • The renewed military action raises concerns that the war will continue to escalate and oil/gas prices will rise again, fueling inflation concerns that hurt bond prices and lead to higher mortgage rates.

 • Tomorrow also lacks any relevant data or scheduled events that we need to be concerned about.

 • The rest of the week has only one monthly economic report for the markets to digest and a Treasury auction midweek that may affect rates during afternoon trading.

 • There are also plenty of corporate earnings releases each day that have the potential to indirectly influence rates slightly. They include a large number of companies, including some big names, posting results this week. Generally speaking, good news for stocks is bad news for bonds and mortgage rates.

 • We should see rates remain a bit calmer than last week because none of the events on this week’s calendar are considered to be highly important.

 • Visit our Daily Commentary page on our site for detailed explanations on current news that is relevant to mortgage rates.

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If I were considering financing/refinancing a home, I would.... Lock if my closing was taking place within 7 days... Lock if my closing was taking place between 8 and 20 days... Lock if my closing was taking place between 21 and 60 days... Float if my closing was taking place over 60 days from now... This is only my opinion of what I would do if I were financing a home. It is only an opinion and cannot be guaranteed to be in the best interest of all/any other borrowers.