In this episode of the Top of Mind podcast, Mike Simonsen sits down with Matt Graham from MBS Live and Mortgage News Daily. A former loan originator, Matt is one of the foremost technology innovators and market commentators in the mortgage industry. Matt talks about what to expect with mortgage rates for the rest of the year and into 2025, and offers keen insights into a variety of other economic indicators.About Matt GrahamA former originator, Matt fell into the rabbit hole of following the bond market in order to better understand mortgage rate movement. While the systems available at the time were useful, they barely scratched the surface. They also ran the risk of teaching originators to focus on things that didn't really matter.So Matt set out to build something that solved both problems. In the 20 years that followed, Matt has proven to be the industry's foremost innovator in market data services designed specifically for mortgage originators. MBS Live continues to be the most trusted, most accurate, and most timely source of streaming bond prices, data and dialogue.Matt is routinely featured in the media as a mortgage rate expert and is responsible for helping several major media outlets modernize their mortgage rate reporting. He currently lives in the Pacific Northwest where he enjoys skiing, fishing, hunting, coaching youth sports, playing in the old guy league, and most of all, spending time with his family.Here’s a glimpse of what you’ll learn: 

Why everyone was fooled about rates for 2024

What to look for with mortgage rates for the rest of the year and into 2025

What to look for in the inflation data for the next few months

Which other macroeconomic measures we should be watching

How the Fed communicates, and how markets react to the Fed

The latest dynamics of mortgage pricing, fees and points

Why the last two years has been “tougher than the Great Financial Crisis” for mortgage lenders

Why the 8% interest rate in September 2023 was probably “defensive panic” and unlikely to repeat

How the post-Covid stimulus money is still reverberating in the economy and the markets today

Whether there’s a threshold rate for where consumers start to buy homes

His view of the imperative to “spread the wealth” of real estate in the US to more people, including those who are long term renters

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Matt Graham | LinkedIn

MBS Live

Mortgage News Daily

Mike Simonsen | LinkedIn

Altos Research

Featuring Mike Simonsen, President of Altos ResearchA true data geek, Mike founded Altos Research in 2006 to bring data and insight on the U.S. housing market to those who need it most. The company now serves the largest Wall Street investment firms, banks, and tens of thousands of real estate professionals around the country. Mike's insights on the market have been featured in Forbes, New York Times, Bloomberg, Dallas Morning News, Seattle PI, and many other national media outlets.Follow us on Twitter for more data analysis and insights:

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About Altos ResearchThe Top of Mind Podcast is produced by Altos Research.Each week, Altos tracks every home for sale in the country - all the pricing, and all the changes in pricing - and synthesizes those analytics to make them available before becoming visible through traditional channels.Schedule a demo to see Altos in action. You can also get a copy of our free eBook: How To Use Market Data to Build Your Real Estate Business.