Interest Rates Today

Rates: 7.03 percent (60-month, new car); 7.74 percent (36-month, used car)

There was infinitesimal movement in auto loan rates for this week. The 48-month new-car loan rate scooted up 1 basis point to 7 percent. The 36-month new-car loan rate also ticked up 1 basis point to put it at 6.94 percent while the 60-month new-car loan rate held tight to 7.03 percent.

Used car loan rates also held fast to last week’s positions. The 36-month used-car loan rate is 7.74 percent and the 48-month used-car loan rate is 7.75 percent.

On Tuesday, the Consumer Federation of America advised drivers curtailing their motoring habits as a result of expensive gas to check with their insurance companies — it could be a chance to save some money. If you’re driving much less than before by consolidating trips or only going to the train or bus station, you could save as much as 10 percent on car insurance.

Rate: 6.52 percent (30-year fixed) Average points: 0.41

Fixed-rate mortgages soared this week and are now at their highest level in nearly 10 months.

The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage jumped 26 basis points, to 6.52 percent. A basis point is one-hundredth of a percentage point.

The average 15-year fixed — a popular option for refinancing — shot up even higher, rising 28 basis points, to 6.12 percent. The average jumbo 30-year fixed was up 13 basis points, to 7.6 percent.

The one-year adjustable-rate mortgage was up just 2 basis points, to 6.16 percent. However, the popular 5/1 ARM jumped 27 basis points, to 6.07 percent.

Mortgage applications rose sharply after three straight weeks of decline, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. For the week ending June 6, applications rose a seasonally adjusted 10.9 percent when compared to one week earlier.

Refinancing grew by 8.4 percent while applications for new purchases increased 12.8 percent.

A little bit of a haircut for the one-year CD as the average yield dropped 3 basis points to 2.15 percent. Meanwhile, the average for the five-year grew by 6 basis points to 3.16 percent. There was very similar movement with the jumbos; the one-year yield lost 3 basis points while the five-year rose by 7 points, to 2.33 percent and 3.35 percent, respectively.

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson keep trying to talk down inflation, which has most people thinking rates will be rising later this year. It’s a tough predicament as the economy looks like it needs a paramedic.

The average yield for money market accounts remains at 0.73 percent for the fourth week in a row.

There were a lot of news stories today over investor concerns of Bank of America’s pending deal to buy Countrywide. As this CNN article describes, analysts have made bearish announcements today regarding this deal. If it does go forward, many think Bank of America will renegotiate the deal for a lower price due to Countrywide’s growing mortgage problems.

If your deposits are under the FDIC limits, you don’t have worry about losing any money. However, there is a risk that the receiver of the failed bank decides not to continue the CD term. The new bank is free to close the CD early. The early withdrawal penalty would be waived. This is what happened when NetBank closed last year. Some CD holders had their NetBank CDs closed early by ING Direct. On the positive side, you are also free to close the CD early without an early withdrawal penalty.

A bond is defined as an interest-bearing certificate issued by a government or business, promising to pay the holder a specified sum on a specified date.

Common wisdom says bonds are a safe haven from stock market turmoil. Does that mean you should buy bonds if that turmoil comes from recession or inflation?

Complicating the situation is the fact that there is no one-size-fits-all-situations bond. The Treasury Department issues bonds, so do corporations, municipalities and banks. There are short-term bonds and long-term bonds; bonds with pristine credit ratings and junk bonds.

Remember, while bonds may protect you in hard economic times from the deep dives that stocks sometimes take, there is no guarantee you won’t lose money. With bonds, you can get hurt while standing on the sidelines.

Stability versus volatility
It’s a given that most people, especially as they near retirement and need to reduce volatility in their portfolio, should have a smattering of bonds for stability and to provide fixed-income.

The ratio of bonds to equities and cash depends on your needs and your risk tolerance. We won’t specifically address allocation in this article, but we will try to provide some guidance for when it’s appropriate to load up a bit more on your bond allocation.

Cash, U.S. bonds and foreign bonds
David Marotta, president of Marotta Asset Management in Charlottesville, Va., includes three asset classes in the stability portion of his clients’ portfolios.

The first is “short money,” comprised mainly of money markets and, occasionally, short-term CDs; assets that mature in less than two years. Second is U.S. bonds, and the third is foreign bonds.

“Short money has probably been the riskiest investment over the past couple of years,” says Marotta. “The dollar has dropped in value and its buying power has dropped tremendously. By proxy, the second riskiest investment is U.S. bonds. They’ve appreciated some in the recent market downturn, they’ve paid a little bit better interest rate, but in terms of purchasing power, they’ve been one of the worst investments in the last two years.

“Foreign bonds do the best during a recession and during inflation. During a recession, the bond category as a whole will do well, but during inflationary times, the U.S. dollar is dropping in value. Your foreign bonds are going to get both the good return you get in a bond portfolio during a recession and an extra kick because the value of the U.S. dollar is dropping.

“When the dollar drops, your foreign bonds are going up in value because they’re invested in foreign currencies, which aren’t being devalued as much as the dollar. When you invest in foreign bonds in this mode, you want to invest in unhedged foreign bonds.”

The frequency that a financial institution compounds interest on your deposit. Banks and financial institutions routinely use compounding to pay you a higher interest rate.

For example, a financial institution may be offering a CD that pays interest at 10%. If the institution does not compound interest, you will receive 10 percent of your investment as interest income at the end of a year.

But if the institution compounds interest every three months (quarterly compounding), you will earn an interest rate of 10.38%. If the institution compounds interest monthly, you will earn 10.47%. And if it compounds daily, you will earn 10.52%. For a $10,000 deposit, this is an extra $52 in interest that you earn.

The Federal Reserve is ready to lower interest rates again to brace the wobbly economy even as zooming oil prices spread inflation, Chairman Ben Bernanke signaled to Congress on Wednesday.

He is fighting to keep the economy afloat after mighty blows from the housing and credit crises, while trying to contain inflation.

For now, the priority is shoring up the economy, Bernanke suggested in an appearance before the House Financial Services Committee. He pledged anew to slice a key interest rate and help the economy, which many fear is on the verge of a recession, if not already in one.

“The economic situation has become distinctly less favorable” since the summer, the Fed chief told lawmakers.

Since then, the housing slump has worsened, credit problems have intensified and the job market has deteriorated. Bernanke said that combination of bad news has made people and businesses more cautious about spending and investing, further weakening the economy.

The country should prepare for “sluggish economic activity in the near term,” Bernanke said. Concern is growing about the possible return of stagflation, when stagnant growth is combined with rising inflation, for the first time since the 1970s.

Online banks continue to cut rates on their savings accounts and CDs. In addition to cutting rates, AmTrustDirect added tiers to its e-Money Market Account. Balances under $25K now earn 3.50% APY. You’ll need $50K to earn the maximum yield of 4.00% APY. Look for other online banks to start implementing tiers as they cut rates. It helps hide the full extent of their rate cuts.

Here are some of the recent rate cuts and decreases:

• AmTrustDirect e-Savings / e-Money Market - 4.10% APY for e-Savings / 4% APY ($50K+) 3.75% APY ($25K+) 3.5% APY for e-Money Market (down from 4.60% e-Savings / 4.50% all tiers e-Money Market)
• Corus MMA - 4.32% APY (down from 4.50%)
• Flagstar MMA - 4.25% APY (down from 4.40%)
• FNBO Direct Savings - 3.85% APY (down from 4.30%)
• Capital One/Costco MMA - 3.70% APY (down from 4.05%)
• EmigrantDirect Savings - 3.60% APY (down from 4.05%)
• BancoFortuna Savings - 3.60% APY (down from 4.05%)
• GMAC MMA - 3.50% APY (down from 4.00%)

Washington Mutual currently has one of the highest CD rates for large online banks, with a 4.0% APY rate on their 6 month CD. This is a better rate than both Wells Fargo and Bank of America are currently offering.

On top of this CD, they also have other certificates with rates ranging from 3.51% to 3.75% with 1 year to 5 year terms. Minimum deposit to open a CD with WaMu is $1,000.

To obtain the APY for the effective date on the day you apply, the Online CD account must be funded within seven (7) calendar days. If received on or after the eighth calendar day, the then effective date APY will be applied. Certificate of Deposit accounts earn a fixed interest rate and APY for the selected term. Fees may reduce earnings. Penalty for early withdrawals apply.

Besides their CDs, WaMu has a high yield savings/checking account combo that currently has a 4.25% APY.

Average CD yields slid this past week, with one-year CDs giving up 2 basis points to end up at 3.52 percent, and five-year CDs dropping 3 basis points to 3.73 percent.

Yields on jumbo CDs also fell. One-year jumbos finished at 3.88 percent, 3 basis points below last week, and five-year CDs dropped 2 basis points, to end up at 3.93 percent.