The MBA mortgage applications index is 12.7 percent lower in the April 18 week. It is 5.7 percent lower than four weeks ago and 18.7 percent higher than a year earlier. The purchase index is 6.6 percent lower in the current week and 1.5 percent lower than four weeks ago and 6.4 percent higher than a year earlier. The refinancing index is 20.0 percent lower and is 10.5 percent lower than four weeks ago and 42.5 percent higher than a year earlier. In the April 18 week, refinancing accounted for 37.3 percent of mortgage applications compared to 41.3 percent in the prior week.

Homebuyers and those refinancing existing mortgages remain sensitive to movements in interest rates. The substantial uptick over the past two weeks has brought fixed rates back to levels seen in January and choked off demand for new home loans. Economic uncertainty and concerns about job security will make many reluctant to commit to a big purchase like a home.

The fixed-rate mortgage index is 10.7 percent lower in the April 18 week. It is 6.9 percent lower than four weeks ago and 18.9 percent higher than this week last year. The adjustable-rate mortgage index is 31.7 percent lower and is 13.0 percent higher than four weeks ago and 16.6 percent higher than a year ago.

The contract rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is 6.90 percent in the current week. This is 9 basis points higher than the prior week, 19 basis points higher than four weeks ago, and 34 basis points lower than a year earlier. The contract rate for a 5-year adjustable-rate mortgage is 6.01 percent in the week. This is 10 basis points lower than the prior week, 12 basis points higher than four weeks ago, and 63 basis points lower than a year earlier. In the April 18 week, adjustable-rate mortgages accounted for 7.5 percent of mortgage applications compared to 9.6 percent in the prior week.

The Mortgage Bankers' Association compiles various mortgage loan indexes. The purchase applications index measures applications at mortgage lenders. This is a leading indicator for single-family home sales and housing construction.

This provides a gauge of not only the demand for housing, but economic momentum. People have to be feeling pretty comfortable and confident in their own financial position to buy a house. Furthermore, this narrow piece of data has a powerful multiplier effect through the economy, and therefore across the markets and your investments. By tracking economic data such as the Mortgage Bankers Association purchase applications, investors can gain specific investment ideas as well as broad guidance for managing a portfolio.

Each time the construction of a new home begins, it translates to more construction jobs, and income which will be pumped back into the economy. Once a home is sold, it generates revenues for the home builder and the realtor. It brings a myriad of consumption opportunities for the buyer. Refrigerators, washers, dryers and furniture are just a few items new home buyers might purchase. The economic"ripple effect" can be substantial especially when you think a hundred thousand new households around the country are doing this every month.

Since the economic backdrop is the most pervasive influence on financial markets, housing construction has a direct bearing on stocks, bonds and commodities. In a more specific sense, trends in the MBA purchase applications index carry valuable clues for the stocks of home builders, mortgage lenders and home furnishings companies.