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Week of July 6–7, 2026: 30-Year Mortgage Hits 7-Week Low at 6.43% as June Jobs Miss and Housing Starts Crater to a 6-Year Bottom

Buyers heading into the post-July 4th stretch got a rare piece of good news: the 30-year fixed mortgage rate eased to 6.43%, its lowest mark in seven weeks, according to Freddie Mac's July 2 survey. But the backdrop is complicated — June's jobs report delivered a sharp miss at just 57,000 new payrolls, housing starts collapsed to their lowest level since May 2020, and inflation is still running at 4.2% year-over-year. The net read for buyers and sellers: rates are nudging down, the Fed is unlikely to hike anytime soon, but affordability challenges and thin inventory aren't going away fast.