Wednesday May 4, 2022 Jerome Powell and the Federal Reserve announced their short term interest rate hike of +0.50%. This brings the Fed Funds Rate to a range of 0.75% – 1.00%. Previous commentary about rate hikes through 2022, and possibly into 2023, remain in place as the Federal Reserve desperately attempts to cool and control continuous inflation across the economy.
Bottom line upfront: The wind has been at our sails for over a year. Now its time to grab an oar and start rowing. By this time everyone is well aware that drastic measures were taken across the board at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.
Just in the month of March alone, some mortgage programs experienced rate increases of +1.0% or more (depending on the loan scenario). Many are asking us directly, and we bet more are asking themselves privately, “What do I do now?” In this article we will address some things you may need to consider now…
It is all but set in stone that the Fed will raise their short-term rate in March. During testimony on Wednesday March 2, 2022 Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said he still sees interest rate hikes up ahead as “implications for the U.S. economy are highly uncertain” from the Ukraine war.