January 28, 2026
US Mortgage Rates Increase for First Time in Four Weeks
US mortgage rates climbed for the first time in four weeks, halting an early-year upswing in home purchase and refinancing activity.
The contract rate on a 30-year mortgage rose 8 basis points to 6.24% in the week ended Jan. 23, according to Mortgage Bankers Association data released Wednesday.
Europe:
Germany Sees Economy Reviving With Government-Spending Boost
The German government expects Europe’s biggest economy to emerge from three years of stagnation in 2026, but a heavy reliance on state spending shows fostering a broader-based recovery remains a work in progress.
Gross domestic product is seen expanding by 1% this year and by 1.3% in 2027, according to an updated outlook published Wednesday by the economy ministry in Berlin.
Asia:
BOJ’s Minutes Hint at Rising Concern Over Yen’s Impact on Prices
Some Bank of Japan board members expressed rising concern over the extent to which the yen’s depreciation is affecting price trends when they discussed policy in December before deciding at that meeting to raise the benchmark interest rate to the highest since 1995.
Some members said that “in deciding whether to raise the policy interest rate, the bank should give consideration to the impact of the yen’s depreciation on inflation rates, and in some cases, on underlying inflation,” according to the minutes from the December 18-19 gathering released Wednesday.
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