The result is that I expect gradual increases in long-term interest rates through this year and 2014. As I write (May 29, 2013), the 10-year Treasury Bond yields 2.12 percent. I could see that interest rate rising above three percent by the end of 2014, maybe up as high as 3.5 percent.
This gain in long-term rates will push the 30-year mortgage rate up around 5.5 percent, which is still a low interest rate. However, the move from the threes to the fives will discourage people with cheap mortgages from moving.
Risks to the forecast are fairly simple. I think the chance of short-term rates rising over the forecast time horizon are very, very low. Long-term rates could remain at today’s low levels if the economy re-slumps. However, a surprise rebound in economic growth worldwide could add another percentage point to my forecast. But the high interest rates of 30 years ago will remain but a distant memory no matter how surprising next year’s economy turns out to be