By Liz Moyer
Investing.com -- Real estate investments are getting burned by mortgage rates that have soared above 6%.
Nationally, the average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rate is 5.87%, according to Bankrate.com, though some mortgage lenders were quoting rates above 6% in certain markets. The national average is up 36 basis points from this time last week, Bankrate said. Mortgage loan interest rates are rising as the Federal Reserve moves to increase its own benchmark rate to tamp down inflation.
The rising rates threaten to crimp mortgage demand and slowdown a previously hot housing market. Would-be home buyers have been stepping to the sideline to wait out the real estate market, which has been characterized by soaring prices and limited available housing to buy.
Shares of Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc (NYSE:IVR) fell 8.5% on Tuesday as mortgage rates jumped above 6%. Likewise, shares of New York Mortgage Trust Inc (NASDAQ:NYMT) fell 6.7%, MFA Financial Inc (NYSE:MFA) fell 5.3%, and PennyMac Mortgage Investment Trust (NYSE:PMT) fell 2.2%.
More data on the strength of the housing market is expected later this week. On Thursday, data on housing starts come out. Analysts are expecting 1.7 million for May, which would be down from 1.72 million in April.