Volume 240 | August 2, 2026

Your Weekly Economic Update

In this edition, we'll cover the latest economic news, stock market & mortgage rate news this past week.

Inflation: Consumer prices rose 3.5% annually in June


The Consumer Price Index was released this week. It showed that consumer prices for all goods increased 3.5% year-over-year in June, down from a 4.2% annual increase in May. The drop was mostly attributed to a drop in oil prices. The drop in June was helpful, but the June rate was still well above the 3-year low of 2.4% inflation rate in February 2026 before the war began. It is important to note that the drop in headline inflation in June was while the fighting was stopped and oil prices had fallen. Now that the fighting has restarted and oil and gas prices have increased, experts expect the headline inflation rate to rise. The Core Consumer Price Index, which excludes food and energy, came in at 2.6% annually, down from 2.9% in May.

The Stock Market:

The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week at 52,485.03, down 0.9% from 52,947.26 last week. It is up 9.2% year-to-date from 48,063.29 on December 31, 2025.


The S&P 500 closed the week at 7,489.72, up 1.1% from 7,411.98 last week. The S&P is up 9.4% year-to-date from 6,845.50 on December 31, 2025.


The Nasdaq closed the week at 25,373.85, down 2.3% from 25,975.82 last week. It is up 9.2% year-to-date from 23,241.99 on December 31, 2025.


US Treasury Bonds - Treasury yields moved higher during the week as bond investors remained cautious about inflation and the Federal Reserve, keeping mortgage rates under upward pressure heading into next week's CPI report. The 10-year Treasury bond closed the week yielding 4.75% , up from 4.69% last week. The 30-year Treasury bond yield ended the week at 5.27%, up from 5.16% last week. We watch bond yields because mortgage rates follow bond yields.

Mortgage Rates:

Mortgage rates -– Every Thursday, Freddie Mac publishes interest rates based on a survey of mortgage lenders throughout the week. The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that mortgage rates for the most popular loan products as of July 30, 2026, were as follows:

The 30-year fixed mortgage rate was 6.66%, up from 6.58% last week. The 15-year fixed was 6.04%, up from 5.96% last week.



The graph below shows the trajectory of mortgage rates over the past year:

Contact me:

Navigating the housing market can be a challenge. Be rest assured you have help available from an expert. Contact me with any of your real estate needs.


Cell: (818) 585-3422

Email: Seto.Avakian@rodeore.com

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