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[ad_1] A residential neighborhood in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, May 22, 2022. Jordan Vonderhaar | Bloomberg | Getty Images The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage dropped to 6.57% on Monday, according to Mortgage News Daily . That's down from a rate of 6.76% on Friday and a recent high of 7.05% last Wednesday. Mortgage rates loosely follow the yield on the 10-year Treasury , which fell to a one-month low in response to the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank and the ensuing ripple through the nation's banking sector. In real terms, for a buyer looking at a $500,000 home with a 20% down payment on a 30-year fixed mortgage, the monthly payment this week is $128 less than it was just last week. It is still, however, higher than it was in January. So what does this mean for the spring housing market? In October, rates surged over 7%, and that started the real slowdown in home sales. But rates then started falling in December and were near 6% by t

[ad_1] With the second half of the year now underway, investors may want to take another look at their fixed income portfolio. High yields have been a boon to income investors, as the Federal Reserve increased interest rates over the past year. The ramp up, which began in March 2022 in an effort to tame inflation, has pushed yields higher on assets like U.S. Treasurys: The rate on the the 6-month T-bill is hovering just below 5.5%, while the 2-year note is at about 4.7%. Yields on certificates of deposit, money market funds and preferred securities have also seen a boost. US2Y US6M YTD line Yields on the 2-year Treasury and the 6-month T-bill Now the market is looking at the prospect of the Fed approaching the end of its hiking campaign. Policymakers indicated at their June meeting that two more quarter-point increases are on the way before the end of 2023. Indeed, traders anticipate another quarter-point increase next week. Inflation appears to be cooling with consumer and produc