NEW YORK, Feb 13, 2026, 13:25 EST — Regular session.
- Mortgage News Daily’s 30-year fixed index fell to 6.04%, its lowest in several weeks
- Rate-sensitive shares rose, with Rocket up about 5% and UWM up about 6%
- Investors are watching Fed-cut timing and next week’s housing data and Fed minutes
U.S. mortgage rates slipped to new multiweek lows on Friday after a cooler inflation report pushed Treasury yields down, lifting mortgage lenders and homebuilders in afternoon trade. (Mortgage News Daily)
The move matters going into the spring homebuying season, when small changes in financing costs can swing monthly payments and refinance math. For a market still short on listings, cheaper credit is one of the few near-term levers.
Mortgage News Daily’s daily index showed the average 30-year fixed rate at 6.04% on Feb. 13, down from 6.10% the prior day. Its table also showed the 10-year Treasury yield around 4.05% on the day. (Mortgage News Daily)
Freddie Mac’s weekly survey, which is watched closely by housing economists, pegged the 30-year fixed rate at 6.09% as of Thursday, down 2 basis points from the prior week. A basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point. (Freddie Mac)
Rate-sensitive stocks moved higher as bond yields eased. Rocket Companies was up about 5.2% at $18.68, while UWM Holdings gained roughly 6.4% to $5.00; the iShares U.S. Home Construction ETF rose about 1.5% and D.R. Horton added about 2% in midday trade.
The drop in yields followed data showing U.S. consumer prices rose less than expected in January. The benchmark 10-year note yield was last down 2.9 bps at 4.075% after the report, Reuters said. (Reuters)
Phil Orlando, chief market strategist at Federated Hermes in New York, called it “better than expected,” adding it supports expectations for lower rates over time. Another investor, Brad Conger at Hirtle, Callaghan & Co, said he is overweight “interest rate sensitive names such as homebuilders and real estate.” (Reuters)
Even with borrowing costs easing, the housing market has not shaken off a long slump. U.S. existing home sales fell 8.4% in January to a 3.91 million annual rate, and the median price rose 0.9% from a year earlier to $396,800, Reuters reported. (Reuters)
Lawrence Yun, the National Association of Realtors’ chief economist, warned supply “has not kept pace and remains quite low,” a constraint that can keep prices sticky even when rates fall. (Reuters)
A separate report from the Associated Press said nearly 79% of homeowners with a mortgage have a rate below 6%, keeping would-be sellers on the sidelines. Realtor.com economist Jiayi Xu said “a larger drop in rates will be needed” to draw buyers and sellers back in force. (AP News)
There is also a downside case. Reuters cited strategist worries that underlying inflation could prove persistent, and a separate Reuters survey on Thursday flagged risks that heavy Treasury issuance and inflation concerns could push the 10-year yield higher later this year. (Reuters)
Next up, traders will be watching whether the bond rally holds into next week’s housing starts and building permits data due Feb. 18, alongside the release of minutes from the Fed’s Jan. 27-28 meeting, which typically come three weeks after the decision. (Census)
