去年,美聯(lián)儲為對抗通脹,將抵押貸款利率從3%提高至7%以上,美國房市進入了急劇收縮的狀態(tài)。不過目前顯而易見的是,美國房市的自由落體狀態(tài)已經(jīng)成為過去。
周三,我們得知,季節(jié)性調(diào)整后的抵押貸款購買申請指數(shù)上周上升3.1%至190。一方面,該指數(shù)仍遠低于2022年同期的282。另一方面,該指數(shù)在1月第一周觸底159后,最近幾周明顯企穩(wěn)。
盡管房地產(chǎn)經(jīng)紀人和建筑商都在為這一消息歡呼,但美聯(lián)儲對住房數(shù)據(jù)轉好卻反應冷淡。
[美國]明尼阿波利斯聯(lián)邦儲備銀行行長尼爾·卡什卡利周二在接受美國全國廣播公司財經(jīng)頻道(CNBC)采訪時表示: “《華爾街日報》昨天有一篇報道說,由于抵押貸款利率回落,美國住房市場開始恢復活力。”他接著說,放松金融環(huán)境(包括抵押貸款利率上周降至6.09%)對美聯(lián)儲來說不是好消息:“你說得對,(放松金融環(huán)境)確實使我們更難實現(xiàn)經(jīng)濟平衡。在其他條件相同的情況下,這意味著我們必須借助其他工具,采取更多措施。”
為什么寬松的金融環(huán)境和不斷下降的抵押貸款利率會給美聯(lián)儲帶來麻煩?
在2022年下半年,利率飆升推動美國房價從2022年的峰值下跌2.5%(見下圖),同時也間接抑制了創(chuàng)紀錄的租金飆升。不過,如果美國樓市回暖,房價和租金上漲可能會抹殺美聯(lián)儲在樓市方面取得的進展。如果美聯(lián)儲不能抑制住房等對利率敏感的領域的通脹,那么它將不得不在加息以外的領域與通脹作斗爭。
卡什卡利表示,如果繼續(xù)放松金融環(huán)境,美聯(lián)儲將尋求使用“其他工具”。美國全國廣播公司財經(jīng)頻道主持人隨后要求卡什卡利澄清他所說的“其他工具”是什么意思。
卡什卡利說:“我們需要在聯(lián)邦基金利率方面采取更多措施,而且我們還可以利用資產(chǎn)負債表。”
當然,如果聯(lián)邦基金利率的上升高于預期,理論上講,金融市場會給抵押貸款利率等長期利率施加額外的上行壓力。然而,對于房地產(chǎn)經(jīng)紀人和經(jīng)紀人來說,更重要的可能是后一種建議使用的工具:“資產(chǎn)負債表”。
在疫情期間,美聯(lián)儲的量化寬松計劃(即購買債券)使央行持有的國債攀升至5.4萬億美元,抵押貸款支持證券攀升至2.6萬億美元。如果美聯(lián)儲拋售其中一些抵押貸款支持證券,理論上講,這將進一步推高抵押貸款利率。
美聯(lián)儲實際拋售抵押貸款支持證券的可能性有多大?現(xiàn)在看來,這種情況不太可能發(fā)生。
美聯(lián)儲主席杰羅姆·鮑威爾(Jerome Powell)周三在華盛頓經(jīng)濟俱樂部發(fā)表講話時表示,目前拋售抵押貸款支持證券還未提上議事日程。
“我們已經(jīng)說過,我們將考慮拋售抵押貸款支持證券。但是我要告訴大家,這不是我們積極推動的事情,也不在我們認真考慮的事情之列。”鮑威爾說。(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:中慧言-王芳
去年,美聯(lián)儲為對抗通脹,將抵押貸款利率從3%提高至7%以上,美國房市進入了急劇收縮的狀態(tài)。不過目前顯而易見的是,美國房市的自由落體狀態(tài)已經(jīng)成為過去。
周三,我們得知,季節(jié)性調(diào)整后的抵押貸款購買申請指數(shù)上周上升3.1%至190。一方面,該指數(shù)仍遠低于2022年同期的282。另一方面,該指數(shù)在1月第一周觸底159后,最近幾周明顯企穩(wěn)。
盡管房地產(chǎn)經(jīng)紀人和建筑商都在為這一消息歡呼,但美聯(lián)儲對住房數(shù)據(jù)轉好卻反應冷淡。
[美國]明尼阿波利斯聯(lián)邦儲備銀行行長尼爾·卡什卡利周二在接受美國全國廣播公司財經(jīng)頻道(CNBC)采訪時表示: “《華爾街日報》昨天有一篇報道說,由于抵押貸款利率回落,美國住房市場開始恢復活力。”他接著說,放松金融環(huán)境(包括抵押貸款利率上周降至6.09%)對美聯(lián)儲來說不是好消息:“你說得對,(放松金融環(huán)境)確實使我們更難實現(xiàn)經(jīng)濟平衡。在其他條件相同的情況下,這意味著我們必須借助其他工具,采取更多措施。”
為什么寬松的金融環(huán)境和不斷下降的抵押貸款利率會給美聯(lián)儲帶來麻煩?
在2022年下半年,利率飆升推動美國房價從2022年的峰值下跌2.5%(見下圖),同時也間接抑制了創(chuàng)紀錄的租金飆升。不過,如果美國樓市回暖,房價和租金上漲可能會抹殺美聯(lián)儲在樓市方面取得的進展。如果美聯(lián)儲不能抑制住房等對利率敏感的領域的通脹,那么它將不得不在加息以外的領域與通脹作斗爭。
卡什卡利表示,如果繼續(xù)放松金融環(huán)境,美聯(lián)儲將尋求使用“其他工具”。美國全國廣播公司財經(jīng)頻道主持人隨后要求卡什卡利澄清他所說的“其他工具”是什么意思。
卡什卡利說:“我們需要在聯(lián)邦基金利率方面采取更多措施,而且我們還可以利用資產(chǎn)負債表。”
當然,如果聯(lián)邦基金利率的上升高于預期,理論上講,金融市場會給抵押貸款利率等長期利率施加額外的上行壓力。然而,對于房地產(chǎn)經(jīng)紀人和經(jīng)紀人來說,更重要的可能是后一種建議使用的工具:“資產(chǎn)負債表”。
在疫情期間,美聯(lián)儲的量化寬松計劃(即購買債券)使央行持有的國債攀升至5.4萬億美元,抵押貸款支持證券攀升至2.6萬億美元。如果美聯(lián)儲拋售其中一些抵押貸款支持證券,理論上講,這將進一步推高抵押貸款利率。
美聯(lián)儲實際拋售抵押貸款支持證券的可能性有多大?現(xiàn)在看來,這種情況不太可能發(fā)生。
美聯(lián)儲主席杰羅姆·鮑威爾(Jerome Powell)周三在華盛頓經(jīng)濟俱樂部發(fā)表講話時表示,目前拋售抵押貸款支持證券還未提上議事日程。
“我們已經(jīng)說過,我們將考慮拋售抵押貸款支持證券。但是我要告訴大家,這不是我們積極推動的事情,也不在我們認真考慮的事情之列。”鮑威爾說。(財富中文網(wǎng))
譯者:中慧言-王芳
It’s clear that the free fall in U.S. home sales—which went into a sharp contraction after the Federal Reserve’s inflation fight saw mortgage rates spike from 3% to over 7% in 2022—is behind us.
On Wednesday, we learned that the seasonally adjusted Mortgage Purchase Application Index ticked up 3.1% last week to 190. On one hand, the index remains far below the 282 reading it had during the same week in 2022. On the other hand, the index has clearly stabilized in recent weeks after bottoming at a 159 reading during the first week of January.
While realtors and builders alike are cheering this news, improved housing data is getting a lukewarm reception from the Fed.
“The Wall Street Journal yesterday had a report that the [U.S.] housing market is starting to show signs of life again because mortgage rates have come back down,” Minneapolis Fed President?Neel Kashkari said Tuesday on CNBC. He went on to say that loosening financial conditions (including mortgage rates which fell to 6.09% last week) isn’t great news for the Fed. “You’re right it [loosening financial conditions] does make our jobs harder to bring the economy into balance. All things being equal, that means we’d have to do more with our other tools.”
Why could loosening financial conditions and falling mortgage rates spell trouble for the Fed?
In the second half of 2022, spiked interest rates helped push U.S. home prices down 2.5% from their 2022 peak (see chart below) while also indirectly taming record rent spikes. However, if the U.S. housing market were to heat back up, it could see rising home prices and rents erase progress that the Fed has made on the housing front. And if the Fed can’t tame inflation in a rate sensitive sector like housing, it’d surely struggle with inflation further outside its rate hiking purview.
If financial conditions were to continue to loosen, Kashkari said the Fed would look to use "other tools." The CNBC anchor then asked Kashkari to clarify what he meant by "other tools."
"It'd cause me to say we'd need to do more with the federal funds rate and we also have the balance sheet as well," Kashkari said.
Of course, if the federal funds rate were to rise higher than expected, financial markets would in theory put additional upward pressure on long-term rates like mortgage rates. However, the bigger deal for real estate agents and brokers might be the latter suggestion: The "balance sheet."
See, the Fed's quantitative easing program (i.e. buying bonds) during the pandemic saw the central bank's holdings of Treasury securities climb to $5.4 trillion and mortgage-backed securities climb to $2.6 trillion. If the Fed were to sell-off some of those mortgage-backed securities, in theory, it'd push mortgage rates even higher.
How likely is the Fed to actually sell-off mortgage-backed securities? Right now, it doesn't look like it's in the cards.
While speaking to The Economic Club of Washington on Wednesday, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said offloading mortgage-backed securities isn't currently being discussed.
"We have said that we would consider sales of mortgage-backed securities. But I will tell you that is not something on the list of active things, things actively being considered," Powell said.