Fox Business⁠92%

Mortgage rates slip, sticking near 2025 lows⁠92%

By Matthew Kazin⁠0%

12/18/2025, 9:30:14 PM

BS Summary: This article contains 5 faulty reasoning types, including Framing Effect, Optimism Bias, and Appeal to Authority, with Anchoring Bias as the most egregious example at 46.8% saturation with 111 hits. Analysis detected 441 faulty-reasoning hits from 237 analyzed words, generating a BS Score of 86.2% and a BS Rank of ⁠92% (1,848 of 21,886 articles). This article is worse (more manipulative) than 91.60% of the article peer group.

Mortgage rates ticked lower this week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. 
Freddie Mac's latest Primary Mortgage Market Survey, released Thursday, showed the average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed mortgage decreased to 6.21% from last week's reading of 6.22%. 
The average rate on a 30-year loan was 6.72% a year ago. 
"The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage has remained within a narrow 10-basis point range over the last two months," said Sam Khater, Freddie Mac’s chief economist. 
"With rates down half a percent over last year, purchase applications are 10% above the same time one year ago." 
The average rate on a 15-year fixed mortgage fell to 5.47% from last week's reading of 5.54%. 
Freddie Mac's latest data comes about a week after the Federal Fed lowered the benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to a new range of 3.5% to 3.75%. 
Mortgage rates are not directly affected by the Fed's interest rate decision but closely track the 10-year Treasury yield. 
The 10-year yield hovered around 4.12% as of Thursday afternoon. 
Homebuyers are in a more favorable position now than they were a year ago, according to Hannah Jones, a Realtor.com senior economic research analyst. 
"Mortgage rates have eased into the low-6% range, and inventory remains well above last year’s levels, giving buyers more options and greater flexibility," Jones said. 
"Renters have also seen affordability improve, with rents falling for the 28th consecutive month in November." 
Article reasoning-pattern comparisonThis article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.0%FoxBusiness: 0.2%Actor-Observer Bias0.0%This article: 46.8%Matthew Kazin: 10.9%FoxBusiness: 3.4%Anchoring Bias46.8%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 1.5%FoxBusiness: 4.1%Availability Heuristic0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.3%FoxBusiness: 0.1%Blind-Spot Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 2.6%FoxBusiness: 4.4%Confirmation Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.0%FoxBusiness: 0.0%Dunning-Kruger Effect0.0%This article: 40.9%Matthew Kazin: 15.3%FoxBusiness: 12.9%Framing Effect40.9%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.3%FoxBusiness: 0.9%Fundamental Attribution Error0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 1.5%FoxBusiness: 3.8%Halo Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.6%FoxBusiness: 0.7%Hindsight Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.2%FoxBusiness: 0.1%Horn Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 1.2%FoxBusiness: 1.7%In-Group Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.7%FoxBusiness: 1.5%Loss Aversion0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 4.1%FoxBusiness: 7.9%Negativity Bias0.0%This article: 35.9%Matthew Kazin: 14.2%FoxBusiness: 8.8%Optimism Bias35.9%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.0%FoxBusiness: 0.8%Out-Group Homogeneity Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 3.6%FoxBusiness: 3.7%Overconfidence Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 1.7%FoxBusiness: 2.0%Pessimism Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.4%FoxBusiness: 0.4%Primacy Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 6.3%FoxBusiness: 2.3%Recency Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.2%FoxBusiness: 1.1%Representativeness Heuristic0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 3.4%FoxBusiness: 4.5%Self-Serving Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 1.5%FoxBusiness: 1.1%Status Quo Bias0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.0%FoxBusiness: 0.2%Sunk Cost Effect0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.0%FoxBusiness: 0.8%Ad Hominem0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 2.0%FoxBusiness: 1.9%Ambiguity (Equivocation)0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.5%FoxBusiness: 2.4%Anecdotal0.0%This article: 31.2%Matthew Kazin: 11.8%FoxBusiness: 7.2%Appeal to Authority31.2%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 2.6%FoxBusiness: 6.1%Appeal to Emotion0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.0%FoxBusiness: 0.1%Appeal to Nature0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.4%FoxBusiness: 1.2%Bandwagon0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 1.0%FoxBusiness: 1.2%Begging the Question0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.0%FoxBusiness: 0.4%Burden of Proof0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.0%FoxBusiness: 0.2%Circular Reasoning0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.0%FoxBusiness: 0.3%Composition/Division0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.3%FoxBusiness: 1.6%False Dilemma0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.0%FoxBusiness: 0.0%Gambler’s Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.3%FoxBusiness: 0.2%Genetic Fallacy0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 2.7%FoxBusiness: 6.3%Hasty Generalization0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.0%FoxBusiness: 0.1%Middle Ground0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.0%FoxBusiness: 0.1%No True Scotsman0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.0%FoxBusiness: 0.1%Personal Incredulity0.0%This article: 31.2%Matthew Kazin: 5.9%FoxBusiness: 4.4%Post Hoc (False Cause)31.2%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.6%FoxBusiness: 0.8%Red Herring0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 1.0%FoxBusiness: 1.2%Slippery Slope0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.0%FoxBusiness: 0.3%Special Pleading0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.4%FoxBusiness: 0.4%Straw Man0.0%This article: 0.0%Matthew Kazin: 0.0%FoxBusiness: 0.1%Tu Quoque0.0%

237 words analyzed.

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Analysis

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