These are today's mortgage and refinance rates. Mortgage rates have eased thanks to cooler inflation data, but it's unclear if they'll drop further.

The average rate on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages surpassed 7 percent for the first time since May, Freddie Mac reported on Thursday, extending a weekslong climb that could push more buyers and sellers to the sidelines.

Some U.S. consumers are optimistic about the housing market in 2025, believing there's a chance mortgage rates and home prices drop. But how likely is that to really happen?

Mortgage rates are driven by the bond market and Friday was the least active day of the week for bonds.  There were no major economic reports to cause rapid changes in trading levels. As such, mortgage rates started out very close to the levels seen yesterday and most lenders didn't make any mid-day changes.

After climbing to their most expensive level in more than seven months, 30-year mortgage rates held steady Tuesday. Rate movement was mixed for other loan types.

Mortgage rates topped 7% this week, a key psychological threshold, in a sign of the US housing market’s unrelenting affordability challenges.

MSCI's global equities gauge rose on Thursday, while Wall Street indexes closed lower and U.S. Treasury yields fell after a mixed bag of economic data and Federal Reserve official comments suggesting more interest rate cuts on the horizon.

US mortgage rates topped 7% last week, reaching the highest level since early May and extending a months-long advance that risks restraining the housing market.

The Fed is tapping the brakes on interest rate cuts because inflation remains stubbornly high. That's pushed mortgage rates higher.