Forecast for the Week 

Manufacturing news kicks off the week, ahead of Friday’s all-important Jobs Report for November.

• The closely watched ISM Manufacturing Index will be released first thing Monday, kicking off a week filled with important economic data.
• Productivity and the ISM Services Index will be reported on Wednesday.
• Weekly Initial Jobless Claims will be delivered on Thursday after several weeks of heightened claims due to Superstorm Sandy.
• Friday brings the all-important government Jobs Report, which includes Non-farm Payrolls and the Unemployment Rate. Consumer Sentiment will also be released on Friday.

Remember: Weak economic news normally causes money to flow out of Stocks and into Bonds, helping Bonds and home loan rates improve, while strong economic news normally has the opposite result. The chart below shows Mortgage Backed Securities (MBS), which are the type of Bond that home loan rates are based on.
When you see these Bond prices moving higher, it means home loan rates are improving – and when they are moving lower, home loan rates are getting worse.
To go one step further – a red “candle” means that MBS worsened during the day, while a green “candle” means MBS improved during the day. Depending on how dramatic the changes were on any given day, this can cause rate changes throughout the day, as well as on the rate sheets we start with each morning.
As you can see in the chart below, continued uncertainty here regarding the Fiscal Cliff and in Europe regarding the debt crisis benefitted Bonds and home loan rates. I’ll be watching closely to see what happens next.

Chart: Fannie Mae 3.0% Mortgage Bond (Friday Nov 30, 2012)

The Mortgage Market Guide View… 

Plugins Help Make Social Media More Friendly
Social media can be a great asset for your business, but it can also be a big distraction, wasting huge chunks of time in your day. One great solution is to use browser plugins.
A “plugin” is a small program installed to your web browser that modifies your online experience. Here are just a few plugins, listed by browser type, which can help bring more efficiency to your social media experience.
Facebook on Firefox Facebook Toolbar – Integrates Facebook into your toolbar and allows you to search, post notifications, and share content from anywhere on the web.
Facebook on Chrome Time Spent on Facebook – Get a hold of your Facebook time by tracking how long you’re on it each day.
LinkedIn on Firefox LinkedIn Neobar – Lets you search for information about any company without being on the LinkedIn site, good for growing your network while you browse.
LinkedIn on Chrome RecruitIn – Need to find a new employee or assistant fast? This recruitment tool uses LinkedIn public profiles.
Twitter on Firefox HootBar – Lets you post messages directly from your Firefox address bar.
Twitter on Chrome Hootsuite – Another popular dashboard, which lets you track activity and analyze results across multiple networks.
Find over one hundred more plugins for use with Facebook, Twitter, Gmail, YouTube, Google+, Pinterest, Foursquare, Instagram, and more at Simply Zesty.

Economic Calendar for the Week of December 03 – December 07

The material contained in this newsletter is provided by a third party to real estate, financial services and other professionals only for their use and the use of their clients. The material provided is for informational and educational purposes only and should not be construed as investment and/or mortgage advice. Although the material is deemed to be accurate and reliable, we do not make any representations as to its accuracy or completeness and as a result, there is no guarantee it is without errors.