#mortgage-backed-securities

#mortgage-backed-securities

Part of the decline can be attributed to a continued gradual compression of the " mortgage spread" -the difference between the 10-year Treasury yield and the average 30-year fixed mortgage rate-as some investors slowly regain their appetite for mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and help fill the void left by the Federal Reserve when it stopped buying MBS in spring 2022. The other factor putting downward pressure on mortgage rates-and long-term yields-has been a recent stretch of softer-than-expected labor market data and financial market's growing expectation that the Fed will shift policy from restrictive to neutral.

"Because of the strong dividend income REITs provide, they are an important investment both for retirement savers and for retirees who require a continuing income stream to meet their living expenses. REITs' dividends are substantial because they are required to distribute at least 90% of their taxable income to their shareholders annually. Their dividends are fueled by the stable stream of contractual rents paid by the tenants of their properties," says REIT.com.