Posted To: Mortgage Rate WatchMortgage rates moved back over the 5% threshold, on average, for the first time since early 2011 today following mixed data on the jobs market. Why would “mixed data” be such a problem? It’s not, per se, but in this case, it reinforced certain trends that have posed big problems for rates. Namely, the annual pace of wage growth has now held at 2.8% or above for 4 months in a row. Previously, 2.8% was an isolated occurrence and sort of a magical line in the sand. Analysts and policy-makers lamented “frustratingly tepid wage growth” when we were below that line. Now that we’re on the other side, the prevailing belief/fear is that wage growth is high enough to put upward pressure on inflation, and that’s a big problem for interest rates (inflation is one of rates’ mortal enemies). I don’t want…(read more)Forward this article via email: Send a copy of this story to someone you know that may want to read it.