Anonymousabout 2 hours ago
The U.S.-Iran war that began in late February 2026 drove 30-year fixed mortgage rates from 5.98% to a seven-month high of 6.46% by early April, fueled by surging oil prices and inflation fears that pushed 10-year Treasury yields up nearly 40 basis points. A Pakistan-brokered ceasefire has since brought rates back to 6.30%, but the episode exposed how geopolitical risk premiums can override domestic monetary policy, leaving first-time homebuyers — already at a record-low 21% market share — and refinance borrowers caught between a frozen housing market and an uncertain path back to pre-war affordability.