The economic challenges that Europe has been facing recently has made investors nervousness about the health of the global economy, has created an opportunity for homeowners here in the US.  Investors have been fleeing riskier securities and moving to the perceived safety of U.S. Treasury securities.  This has created a significant demand for US Treasury securities which  has bid up the price of these securities and in turn driven down interest rates to historical lows.

The average rate on a 30-year fixed rate mortgage nationwide dropped to 4.92 percent at the end of May, from 4.96 percent the previous week, the lowest level since Bankrate.com began keeping track 25 years ago.

Rates have been hovering in the 5 percent to 5.5 percent range for some time. They last touched above 6 percent in November 2008, just as the U.S. financial crisis was unfolding.

Refinancing out of risky adjustable loans or lowering existing fixed rate loans is something every homeowner should be looking into right now.  There have been many changes to lender underwriting guidelines and we know property values are lower than they were several years ago.  Not everyone will be able to take advantage of these lower rates but it costs nothing to at least find out if refinancing is an option so don’t wait until rates start trending back up, make a call today and find out.

Quote of the week. “Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.”– Oprah Winfrey

Consumers think positive. The latest index of consumer attitudes from the Conference Board came in at 52.9 last week, surpassing the 52.5 forecast in a Reuters poll of analysts and the 50.6 mark recorded in November. The expectations index (the “how do you feel about the next 6 months” gauge) hit 75.6, the best reading since December 2007.¹

Initial claims suggest happier 2010. They fell again in the Labor Department’s December 26 report, down to 432,000 – the lowest figure since July 2008. Analysts polled by Briefing.com thought they would rise to 460,000. Initial jobless claims have trended downward since late March.²

Mortgage rates & home prices rise. Checking the newly released October Case-Shiller home price index, we see that residential prices rose by 0.4% nationally with gains in 11 of 20 metro areas. The latest index has prices up 3.5% nationally since May. Rates on 30-year FRMs increased for the fourth straight week to 5.14% in Freddie Mac’s last national survey of 2009.^3,4

A very good year for gold and oil. Gold gained 23.96% in 2009, ending the year at $1,096.20 an ounce. Crude oil rose 77.94% in 2009 (and 1.68% last week) to finish the year at $79.36 a barrel. From the end of 1999 to the end of 2009, gold prices rose 278.52% and oil prices gained 210.00%.⁵

And finally … At the close of the final market day of 2009, the DJIA stood at 10,428.05, the NASDAQ at 2,269.15, and the S&P 500 at 1,115.10. All three of the indices posted weekly losses, but Wall Street was savoring the big picture: the great 2009 gains and the 64.83% advance of the S&P 500 since its March 9 close.⁶

(Source: CNNMoney.com, ustreas.gov, bls.gov, 12/31/09)^6,7,8,9

Indices are unmanaged, do not incur fees or expenses, and cannot be

invested into directly. These returns do not include dividends.

Riddle of the week. A man jumped out of a small plane without a parachute. When he hit the ground, he wasn’t injured at all. Why?

Contact my office or see next week’s Update for the answer.

Last week’s riddle: What number should be next in this series: 9, 16, 25, 36?

Last week’s riddle answer: The next number is 49. 3² = 9, 4² = 16, 5² = 25, 6² = 36, and so on.

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This material was prepared by Peter Montoya Inc., and not the presenting Representative or the Representative’s Broker/Dealer, and should not be construed as investment advice. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is a price-weighted index of 30 actively traded blue-chip stocks. The NASDAQ Composite Index is an unmanaged, market-weighted index of all over-the-counter common stocks traded on the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System. The Standard & Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general. It is not possible to invest directly in an index. NYSE Group, Inc. (NYSE:NYX) operates two securities exchanges: the New York Stock Exchange (the “NYSE”) and NYSE Arca (formerly known as the Archipelago Exchange, or ArcaEx^®, and the Pacific Exchange). NYSE Group is a leading provider of securities listing, trading and market data products and services. The New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc. (NYMEX) is the world’s largest physical commodity futures exchange and the preeminent trading forum for energy and precious metals, with trading conducted through two divisions – the NYMEX Division, home to the energy, platinum, and palladium markets, and the COMEX Division, on which all other metals trade. All information is believed to be from reliable sources; however we make no representation as to its completeness or accuracy. All economic and performance data is historical and not indicative of future results. The market indices discussed are unmanaged. Investors cannot invest in unmanaged indices. The publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting or other professional services. If other expert assistance is needed, the reader is advised to engage the services of a competent professional. Please consult your Financial Advisor for further information. Additional risks are associated with international investing, such as currency fluctuations, political and economic instability and differences in accounting standards.

Citations.