Mortgage rates sit at 6.75% after a third up day, with a better open this morning

The 30-year fixed is 6.75% on the latest national daily index, up 0.02 for a third straight session. That print is Tuesday's close. Wednesday morning looks better: longer-term Treasury yields are lower, and current-coupon mortgage-backed securities are 4/32 firmer than Tuesday's close, so the next rate sheets have room to be a little kinder than yesterday. See Tuesday's 6.73% recap for the prior session.

What are mortgage rates today?

Mortgage News Daily's weekday index as of Tuesday, August 18, 2026 (the daily survey updates around 4 p.m. ET on weekdays):

• 30-year fixed: 6.75% (+0.02)
• 15-year fixed: 6.31% (+0.01)
• 30-year jumbo: 6.87% (unchanged)
• 7/6 SOFR ARM: 6.32% (unchanged)
• 30-year FHA: 6.32% (+0.01)
• 30-year VA: 6.34% (+0.01)

The 30-year path this week: Thursday 6.69%, Friday 6.71%, Monday 6.73%, Tuesday 6.75%. Still below the recent high of 6.85%. Freddie Mac's weekly 30-year as of August 13 was 6.67%.

Wednesday's official index is not out until about 4 p.m. ET. Conventional MBS, Ginnie Mae MBS, and the 10-year note were all higher in price versus the last reprice this morning.

Individual lender quotes differ from a national index. A locked rate is not a closed loan.

Why did rates rise again on Tuesday?

Lenders often set a sheet around 10 a.m. and only change it if bonds move enough. Monday's bond weakness was not large enough for most shops to reprice higher that same day, so Tuesday morning's offerings had to catch up. Bonds were actually a bit better on Tuesday than Monday, which would normally help rates. The catch was timing. The same lag can work the other way today: bonds have improved from the open, but not always enough for a midday cut.

The 10-year finished Tuesday at 4.70%, about 2 basis points below Monday.

What did the housing and inflation data show?

July import prices fell 0.4% and are up 5.9% from a year earlier, both cooler than June. Petroleum dropped 7.5% and dragged the headline down. Excluding petroleum, import prices rose 0.3%. Capital goods were up 0.9%. Computers and electronics, including AI hardware, jumped 1.2%.

Housing starts fell 12.4% in July to a 1.24 million annualized pace, the slowest since 2022 and well below the 1.345 million estimate. Multifamily starts plunged 17%. New single-family construction fell 9.9% to 808,000 annualized, and single-family starts were down in all four regions. The brighter line: single-family building permits rose 2.5% to the highest level since February, a hint that construction could pick up later.

What about mortgage applications and the Fed?

The Mortgage Bankers Association said applications fell 0.4% in the week of August 14. Purchase applications dropped 2.0%. Refinances rose 1.5% and were 41.9% of all applications, up from 40.7%.

The Fed releases the July 28-29 FOMC minutes at 2 p.m. ET. Markets expect the write-up to read hawkish. That can move yields this afternoon even if the morning open was friendly.

What does this mean if you are buying or refinancing?

6.75% is three small up days from last Thursday, not a breakout. This morning's firmer MBS is the first real relief of the week. Get same-day quotes. A lock still matters more than a 0.02 move on a national average. If you can wait past 2 p.m., the minutes are the event that can change the afternoon sheet.

Run a payment estimate, then look at purchase or refinance options. See when refinancing beats waiting.

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